


Walkers and Talkers

by YMR9



Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Death Threats, F/F, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-01 23:07:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6540316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YMR9/pseuds/YMR9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LEXARK - What happens if the person Alicia talks to on walkie talkie is none other than the great fan-creation Elyza Lex.</p><p>The rest is almost like on the show with some changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Pirate

**Alicia's POV**

 

**Prologue**

 

“Where are you calling from? Australia?” Alicia joked with the stranger on the other end.

They had been talking two hours straight. It was a wonder that her mother, Madison, had not come to check on her yet. Madison was very protective, and that was the reason Alicia loved her and also was annoyed by her sometimes.

“Sweetheart, you’re too cute,” the voice with Australian accent replied after a hoarse laugh.

There it was again. Alicia felt her heart flutter and started to grin ear to ear. It was so weird that a stranger who she had just met _by radio_ would cause this effect on her, let alone a woman.

 _Maybe I’m not that straight like I thought._ Alicia got lost in her head.

“Alicia, are you there?” the stranger asked.

“Umm, yeah, Elyza, I’m here,” Alicia said after clearing her throat. “Where are you then?”

“On a fishing boat. Just me, my brother and his pregnant wife. I don’t even know where we are. And who know when it’s gonna rain and shit,” Elyza replied.

“Tell me what you can see. Maybe we can come get you.”

“I can see the fire in the Santa Monica Mountains. Is that your north or your south?”

Alicia looked outside the window of her room and replied. “North.”

“Okay, we’re just south of that. Maybe two miles off shore,” Elyza said and continued. “Do you think you can help us?”

“I… I’ll see what I can do.”

Alicia went to Travis and her mother first. And just about when she was going to convince them to help her new friend, Strand showed up. It was not shocking that Strand refused to help them with the only reason like ‘This is my boat’.

Alicia had never trusted this guy, but she knew if she showed a sign that she disagreed with him only a little, he might drop them off anywhere and any time.

She hated this, and she hated to tell Elyza the bad news.

“Elyza,” Alicia spoke in the walkie talkie as soon as she reached the highest deck of the boat.

“Yes, sweetie, what’s up?”

“I’m sorry. We can’t come get you.”

Elyza did not say anything. Alicia figured that she might take time to process the information, but ten seconds was already too long.

“Elyza?”

“It’s okay, Alicia,” Elyza sounded surprisingly calm.

“It’s not okay. If I owned this boat, I would help you. You guys need to keep trying and…”

The Aussie interrupted her. “I got you. I’ll see you soon.”

_What?_

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Present**

 

There seemed to be a commotion on the boat. Nick and Chris went for a swim, but Travis ended up in the water as well. Madison started shouting and urged everyone to get back on the boat.

Alicia did not understand what was happening until Strand got up in her face again.

“What have you done?”

“Wha… what do you mean?” Alicia asked and looked through the binoculars her mother had just shoved in her hand.

She could see a sinking boat turning upside down from far away, but now she could see it full of holes caused by bullets.

“We might be next,” Strand spat in her face and went back to his control room.

_Shit. I’m so stupid._

Her mother came back to stand next to her again. With one look, she seemed to know what was going on. So did Travis.

“Mom, Travis, I’m so sorry,” Alicia said genuinely.

“It’s okay, honey. We’re going to be okay,” Madison squeezed her shoulder. “Strand said we might get away from them if we leave now.”

Travis did not seem to have the same optimism. “We need to be prepared for what might happen. Let’s get everyone inside just in case.”

Alicia got back to the room she shared with Ofelia and locked the door. She needed some alone time to think. It was not her fault that Elyza sounded so nice and caring. It was nice to talk to someone who seemed to get her. She even told Elyza about Matt, and Elyza was so sweet when she comforted her.

 _Who am I kidding? It’s totally my fault._ Alicia thought. _That girl probably knows what to say. She’s probably done this to many girls… many people._

“Damn it!” Alicia cursed and banged the side of her fist to the wall next to her.

A knock on the door followed the bang. “Alicia!”

It was her brother.

“Go away, Nick!”

“No, Lysh, listen. They’re coming. They’re catching up on us!”

Alicia could hear the sound of a speedboat before Nick could finish talking. She looked outside the window and saw a white object heading towards them very fast.

“Shit. I saw it.”

“Alicia, come outside so we can protect each other.”

She hated to admit that she was scared, but this was not the time. She walked to the door and unlocked it.

“I love that you said we could protect each other instead of you protecting me,” Alicia told her brother.

“I know you can take care of yourself… and me,” Nick said and grinned.

Since all the crazy things happened, her brother had been nothing but helpful to everyone, and Alicia could not be more proud.

“You know we’re gonna get robbed because of me, right?” Alicia asked.

“You fucked up. Everyone can fuck up. Who cares? I fucked up a million times,” Nick shrugged. “Come on. Everyone is in the dining room.”

Everyone was really in the dining room, except Strand. Alicia guessed he was not here because he had to control the boat and check the perimeter, but he soon joined them.

“From my calculation, that damn speedboat will dock us in five minutes. If anyone has any ideas, you should speak up right now,” Strand said.

“I think we should…,” Alicia started.

“Not you, Alicia,” Strand cut her off.

“I’m sorry,” Alicia mumbled.

“Say that again if slash when we survive this,” Strand replied coldly.

“Come on, man. She already feels bad enough,” Travis came to rescue like he always did.

“I don’t wanna hear ‘sorry’, big guy. I wanna hear a plan,” Strand turned to face him. “Why don’t you…?”

A voice chimed in. “Hi. Am I interrupting something?”

It was a blonde girl in a diving suit, wet from head to toe. She would be so out of place if she did not have a knife to Ofelia’s throat. Her accent made Alicia realize who she was right away.

“Elyza…,” Alicia said mindlessly.

“Oh, hey, sweetheart,” Elyza said and smirked. “You’re really cute just like I thought.”

“Shut up,” Alicia said angrily and stepped closer to her.

However, Daniel was faster.

“Let my daughter go,” he pleaded. “How… how did you…?”

“Get here?” Elyza finished the sentence for him. “When you guys were busy looking at the speedboat my big bro is driving, I was already half-way here. Isn’t that smart?”

Nobody replied.

“Now, follow me out to the deck. Slowly, one by one, or my hand might slip on this gorgeous’ neck,” Elyza ordered.

They did as she said and they were outside just in time the speedboat arrived. A man with blonde hair stepped on Strand’s boat with a shotgun in his hands. He looked almost just like Elyza except that he was a man with facial hair. There was no pregnant woman with him.

_Of course, she lied about that, too. Just to get my sympathy._

“Greetings,” the man said and pointed his gun to everyone one by one.

He seemed to enjoy what he was doing even more than Elyza. Alicia thought he might even be crazy judging from his smile and the way he was looking at them.

“Luther, give me my gun,” Elyza said.

“Right,” Luther walked over to his sister and gave her the pistol he tucked behind his jeans. “Here.”

Elyza quickly nudged Ofelia towards Alicia and switched from her knife to her gun.

“I actually hate using knives. It’s too intimate,” Elyza explained her action to Alicia.

It only made Alicia angrier, but all she could do was glaring at her, especially when she was pointing her handgun at them.

“All right, everyone, move to the middle,” Luther said while waving his shotgun around.

“Do as he said. We’re only here for food,” Elyza spoke to Alicia specifically again.

“Are we?” Luther asked after he heard her.

“Luth, we talked about this. You already killed a bunch of people on that boat,” Elyza told her brother.

“It was fun,” Luther said with no regrets and added. “Besides, who said anything about killing? These girls are too pretty to die, don’t you think?”

Alicia was disgusted by his words. She noticed that Elyza felt the same.

“Luth,” Elyza started. “Why don’t you go look for food? I’ll make sure they all stay put, kay?”

“You didn’t answer my question, Lyz. I thought you of all people would understand. I haven’t had some since…,” Luther said and paused. “Don’t you get it? We have guns. We can do whatever we want, _whomever_ we w-…”

Luther did not finish the sentence.

It all happened so fast. Chris took a chance when Luther was not looking and attacked him from behind. Alicia heard a gunshot ring out, but it was not from Elyza’s. The blonde girl just stood there with her mouth open while Chris kept beating on her brother. It was obvious that the blond man was stronger and started to gain dominance, or it was because a part of the shotgun shell scratched Chris’ waist.

When Luther got on top of him, Daniel was already there with the shotgun pointing to Luther’s chest.

“Close your eyes, Chris,” Daniel said calmly.

Chris did so. And before Luther could finish the word ‘Please’, Daniel already decided his fate.

Alicia saw blood splattering on Chris and Daniel the same time as Luther body fell into the sea.

“Luth…,” Elyza mumbled.

Her voice brought Alicia back to where she was. Elyza dropped her hand along with her gun uselessly by her side. Alicia took that chance to snatch it away from her, but Elyza did not seem to care.

Before Alicia could do anything, Daniel was already walking towards them. Alicia could tell what he was planning to do, so she stepped in front of Elyza instinctively. She did not care if Elyza would use her knife on her. She already knew Elyza was not a killer and she did not deserve to die.

“Out of my way, Alicia,” Daniel said.

“Daniel, listen, she’s not a psycho like her brother,” Alicia tried to reason with him.

“She threatened my daughter.”

“She wasn’t gonna hurt anyone.”

Daniel did not seem to be convinced.

“Papa, I think Alicia is right,” Ofelia supported her. “If she wanted to hurt us, she would have shot Chris already.”

“Besides, she might know something we don’t know,” Alicia added.

The man took time to consider and nodded. “All right. I hope you’re right. You better not bring us troubles again, or I will kill both you and the pirate.”

Daniel had always scared her, but after a while, she already got used to him. He walked away with his daughter.

Travis took Chris inside to tend to his wound. Strand went back to his control room, and Nick just stretched like nothing happened.

Madison was approaching them when Alicia turned to face Elyza.

“Thank you, Alicia. I didn’t expect you to-…”

Elyza was cut off by Alicia’s right hook.

_It worked just like in the movies. But ouch!_

“What should we do with her?” Alicia asked her mother while looking at the unconscious beauty.

“We lock her up,” Madison replied.


	2. Interrogation

**Elyza’s POV**

Elyza had always loved swimming. The water made her feel so calm whether it was the sea or the river because of the way the liquid wrapped around her body, and the way it muffled the sound from above.

Elyza smiled while pushing herself forward. She had never been under water this long without diving equipment, and she still did not have the need to go back to the surface yet. She went deeper and deeper to the bottom, not caring if she was too far or could be drowned. Oddly, there were no living things in sight except sea plants.

 _Maybe I’m dreaming. At least it’s a good dream._ Elyza thought.

Suddenly, the blonde could feel something slick touch her ankle. She assumed it was seaweed and kept going forward. The same thing happened again a few times, until this time she could feel the object pulling her back.

Elyza turned around instantly. The sight in front made her scream, but all she could hear was the sound of air coming out of her mouth.

The silhouette of her brother became more and more distinct. His fingers were wrapping around her ankle as she tried to deal with what was happening. His other hand came up to grab her other ankle. Those fingers were slippery like the other five. They made her skin crawl.

_It’s like they have no bones!_

Elyza shook her legs as hard as she could, but it did not work. Luther’s face became clearer. He did not look dead as he was, but the emotion on his face said otherwise.

The man successfully guided his sister to be in standing position, and she was now face to face with him. His hands were on her shoulders.

“You let me die,” Luther said sorrowfully. “You didn’t do anything to save me.”

Elyza tried to fling away from his grasp, but she suddenly felt paralyzed.

Her brother’s right hand slowly moved to caress her face.

He said. “But it’s okay. You’re here now.”

Elyza tried to turn her face away, but his hand was like a magnet. She was forced to look at him while his smile grew wider and wider at the same time the pain on her cheek where he touched grew.

She screamed and fought against her paralysis. Her hand was finally free, and she did not waste her time to detach his hand from her face.

“Get off of me!” she could hear her voice for the first time.

“Jeez, I shouldn’t have wasted my time. I hope your face stays swollen,” a girl’s voice came out of nowhere.

Elyza blinked a few times and turned to the sound.

Alicia was standing above her with a pack of ice in her hand.

_Fuck. I was dreaming?_

The blonde girl looked around the room and found that she was in a bathroom and lying in a bathtub. She was still in her diving suit. There was a toilet behind Alicia and nothing else.

Alicia continued. “You know what? This ice has better use in my ice tea. I’m gonna go make some… for myself.”

“Alicia, wait,” Elyza called out and tried to get up.

She soon realized that her wrists were cuffed to the pipe on the wall behind her.

“What the hell?!” Elyza exclaimed.

The brunette walked back and sat on the toilet. She asked. “What? You thought you would get a queen bed after what you did?”

Elyza guessed she was right, but she still tried her best to pull her wrists against the handcuffs.

“Let me go, Alicia. I promise I won’t do anything…,” Elyza started.

“I think we both know I shouldn’t believe whatever you have to say,” Alicia said coldly.

Elyza looked into the other girl’s eyes and said genuinely. “I’m sorry.”

“You baited me. You lied to me,” Alicia stared back with anger in her eyes. “How many people you did this to? How many before me?”

“Just a few.”

“Tell me about them.”

Elyza hated to reminisce about the people she took advantage of, but the least she could do now was being honest.

The Aussie took a deep breath and said. “There was this married couple we took the speedboat from.”

“Let me guess. You just shot them and dumped their bodies in the sea. Am I any close?”

“We didn’t kill them,” Elyza explained. “I just pickpocketed the key from the wife. That’s all. I’m not…”

Alicia cut her off. “Go on. Who else?”

“There were some guys I talked on the radio with, but they didn’t buy it like…”

“Like me,” Alicia finished the sentence for her. “Thanks for reminding me how stupid I am.”

“You’re not stupid,” Elyza quickly corrected her. “It’s just that… maybe they knew I wasn’t really interested in them.”

 _Like I’m interested in you._ Elyza decided to keep the thought to herself.

The blonde girl had a feeling that Alicia knew what she was thinking anyway because she was shifting in her seat and dropped her eyes to the floor.

Elyza broke the silence. “We just had to do things to survive, okay?”

“What about that boat your brother sank?” Alicia asked.

“We just needed some food. We haven’t eaten anything for two days now. And this boat just showed up,” Elyza recalled what happened. “We were so hungry. So we were going to point the guns we had at them and get the food. But someone on that boat had a gun and shot at us once. And…”

Elyza could not continue because she was thinking of how scared her brother made her feel at that moment.

“And what?”

The Aussie swallowed and said. “And Luther got mad and killed everyone.”

Alicia looked distress when she heard the words. Elyza noticed how compassionate she was, and it made her feel even more guilty for using this fact against her.

The brunette collected herself and asked. “Strand said the gun that was used to sink that boat was some kind of high-powered guns. Where did you get this kind of weapons?”

Elyza decided that it was time to negotiate. “I’ll tell you if you uncuff me.”

Alicia studied her for a while and got up on her feet. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and pressed the ice pack to Elyza’s cheek. It was painful at first, but Elyza felt relief in no time.

They held eye contact the whole time, and it would feel so intimate if they were not in this situation.

“Maybe I’ll uncuff you if you tell me where you got those guns from,” Alicia said.

“Alicia, please,” Elyza pleaded. “I’ll stay here. You can lock the door or whatever. Just uncuff me, please.”

“Why would I do that?”

Elyza came up with the first reason she could think of. “I gotta pee.”

“There’s a drain in the tub,” Alicia said flatly.

“I can’t even unzip anything,” Elyza said and motioned to her diving suit with her eyes.

“Aren’t diving suits meant to get wet?”

“Seriously?”

Alicia smirked, and Elyza hated how all she could think was how adorable she looked right now.

Before either of them could say anything, they could hear Alicia’s mother’s voice from far away. “Alicia! Alicia, where are you?”

“Jesus,” Alicia mumbled with herself and got up. She said to Elyza. “Hold it.”

“The pee or the pack?”

Alicia rolled her eyes and shoved the ice pack between Elyza’s face and shoulder. The blonde tended her neck to the side and held the object obediently.

“You’re really not going to uncuff me?” Elyza tried again.

Alicia shook her head and headed to the door.

“Alicia, please!” Elyza shouted after her. “I’m hungry!”

What she said did not seem to stop the brunette. The bathroom door was opened and closed with a soft click.

_Damn it._

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Elyza did not know how long it had been. She stretched her legs, lied down, and sat up. She pulled on the handcuffs occasionally, but unfortunately, there was no luck.

The worst part of it all was being bored and alone. She could tell by looking outside the small window on top of the wall in front of her that it was already nighttime. Everything got worse in the dark, and she was afraid to fall asleep to another nightmare.

Luckily, her stomach rumbled so much from hunger. Elyza had no choice, but to bite the ice pack open and drink the now-melted water in it. It helped soothing her stomach for a while, but she knew this would lead her to another problem. Her eyes shut after the thought.

Elyza woke up in the middle of the night with the severe need to urinate. She tried the handcuffs again, but it gave the same result.

_Fuck it._

Elyza closed her eyes and let herself go. If it was a few years ago, she might start crying. But she was not the same person and this was a new world, and she believed she deserved to be punished.

She could not sleep anymore. Elyza just sat and stared out of the window in hoping to see some stars. They kept her company for a while until the morning came. The pain in her stomach came back again, and she thought she could not take it any longer.

The door busted open all of sudden.

Elyza said without turning to look. “Morning, Alicia. You’re just in time to see me die of starvation.”

“It’s Nick, actually,” an unfamiliar voice surprised her.

A boy with slick back hair walked in. Alicia told her she had a brother named Nick on the radio, and Elyza already figured out who he was when they were on the deck.

The smell of warm bread was the second thing she noticed. Her eyes fixed on two slices of bread in Nick’s hand until he fed her. She swore she broke the world record for how fast she ate and swallowed them. She wished there was more food Nick brought, but he only had a bottle of water in his other hand.

Nick opened its lid and brought the bottle to Elyza’s lips. She gulped on it non-stop until Nick pulled the bottle away.

“Woah, slow down. You don’t wanna fill your bladder that quick,” the boy said.

“If you took a sniff, you would know I really didn’t care,” Elyza replied.

Nick burst out a laugh and sat down on the toilet. He stayed and kept talking to her.

At first Elyza wondered if he wanted something from her, but he did not ask anything important at all. She felt like they were new friends who first met at school, and he saved her from boredom.

“So you’re not gonna ask me where I got the guns and all that?” the girl asked.

“Nah, that’s Alicia’s job,” Nick said. “She’s trying to make up for what she’s done.”

“It’s not her fault.”

“I know,” Nick nodded. “Alicia is just being Alicia. She’s the better one out of the two of us, you know?”

“You’re not so bad yourself, man,” Elyza told him honestly.

“Thanks,” the boy grinned and asked. “If I ask you what you know, will you even tell me except if I uncuff you first?”

Elyza took time to think and responded. “I have an offer. If you let me change my clothes and cuff me only one hand, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Interesting,” Nick said smiled again. “I’ll tell Alicia.”

He left the room but was kind enough to left the bottle of water with her.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Elyza did not wait long until Alicia walked in with a duffel bag in her hand.

 _My bag._ Elyza thought.

Surprisingly, she did not come alone. A dark skinned man with curly hair walked in after her. He had a handgun in his hand. Her gun.

_My glock._

“I heard you had a deal,” Alicia said and put the bag on the floor.

“Let me change my clothes and uncuff one of my hands and I’ll tell you everything,” Elyza said.

“Or you tell me first and then I’ll do those things,” Alicia replied instantly.

“Fine,” Elyza felt defeated. “I’ll tell you one of the things I know and you’ll do what I asked, if that’s okay.”

“Fine.”

“We got the guns from the Army Post in San Francisco.”

“That information isn’t useful anymore,” the man said. “Tell us something useful.”

Elyza sighed and replied drawlingly. “There was a plane crash on a beach: northwest, two miles from where I boarded this boat. It’s probably more than ten miles from there now.”

“Travis, we can find some medicines for Chris, and more for Nick and Ofelia,” Alicia turned to speak to the man.

“So you’re the stepdad,” Elyza said casually.

“Shut up,” Alicia snapped at her.

Elyza guessed that she was annoyed because she had just revealed how much they talked on the radio.

“Anyway,” Elyza changed the subject. “You might find some food and clothes, too.”

“Why didn’t you go there when you were hungry? Why came to us?” Travis asked.

“Because you also have food. And a bigger boat with a roof seems more promising, ain’t it?”

Nobody answered her question.

“I told you what I know. Now can you please uncuff me and let me change my clothes?” Elyza asked.

Travis nodded with Alicia and lifted the gun up.

The brunette brought a key out of her pocket and stepped closer.

“If you try anything, he’ll shoot you,” Alicia told the other girl and uncuffed one of her links.

Alicia stepped back while Elyza slid the handcuffs from behind the pipe and slowly stood up. She almost lost balance because she was in lying or sitting position for too long, or just because she was still hungry.

“Should I get my bag or…?” Elyza asked.

“Stay there,” Alicia said sharply.

The younger girl opened the bag on the floor and searched through it. She found matching black lace bra and panties and threw at Elyza.

“Umm, I…,” Travis said awkwardly. “Should I…?”

Alicia turned to him and opened her palm. “I got this, Travis.”

Travis hesitated, but finally placed the gun in her hand. “I’ll wait outside. Let me know if she tries to hurt you.”

“How?”

“Scream.”

The man left and closed the door behind him. Alicia lifted the gun and pointed at the blonde girl.

“Your stepdad is a real gentleman,” Elyza tried to make a small talk while sliding down the zipper from under her chin.

“Turn around!” Alicia said abruptly.

“Why? Don’t we have the same things?”

“I don’t wanna see… any of your things.”

Alicia blushed profusely, and it took every bone in Elyza’s body not to tease her.

“All right,” Elyza turned around and stripped to her waist.

She put on her bra, stripped off her diving suit completely, and put on her underwear.

She turned around unannounced and it made Alicia gasp.

The brunette tried looked away, but not before she noticed the broken infinity tattoo under Elyza’s left collarbone.

“Neat, huh?” Elyza asked.

“Not really,” Alicia retorted.

Elyza smiled at her and said. “My shirt and pants, if you will.”

Alicia threw her the first t-shirt and pants she found in the bag, which were a white t-shirt and a black pair of jeans.

Elyza put them on quietly. It was a bit difficult when she had the handcuffs hanging on one of her wrists.

“Can you give me my jacket, too? It’s kinda cold at night,” Elyza asked.

Alicia searched through the bag again and brought out a black leather jacket.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Elyza said.

Alicia held it in her hand for a moment and said “I think I’m gonna keep it.”

The brunette put the jacket on without waiting for any response, and Elyza did not have any energy to argue.

“Keep it,” the blonde finally found her words. “It looks better on you anyway.”

Alicia rolled her eyes despite her blush coming back. She called out. “Travis! We’re done!”

Travis came back as soon as he heard Alicia’s voice.

He took the gun from her hand and told Elyza. “Cuff yourself back.”

“I was thinking,” Elyza spoke while doing as she was told. “What if I need to take a dump?”

“You’ve asked enough for today, Elyza,” Alicia said.

“I know,” Elyza agreed. “Just wanna remind you of things that will come eventually.”

“We’ll see if what you told us is true, and we might consider letting you go,” Travis told her.

“From this room?” Elyza had to make sure.

“From the pipe,” Travis replied and added after he saw the horror on Elyza’s face. “At least.”

Alicia smirked to make fun of her. And this time Elyza stared at her more openly.

“I’ll live,” Elyza said and hoped that she was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for being gross about peeing in the bathtub thing, but it had to be like that, realistically. :P Also, I’m sorry if I don’t write many lines for other characters. I’m really not good at writing for characters I don’t love enough. ^_^


	3. With Us or Against Us

**Elyza’s POV**

The sky outside the window was in a bright shade of orange, which implied evening time. Elyza woke up against her will again. This time it was not because of a nightmare or ice pressed to her face. It was by a voice from far away, Alicia’s voice.

“Look at him! He’s dying!”

It was strange to hear a sweet girl like Alicia sound so angry, which made Elyza worried about who was the person in question.

 _Oh God. I hope it’s not Nick or Travis. They’re cool._ Elyza thought.

It was hard for her to hear anything that was going on despite the boat seemed to stop moving at the moment.

Elyza looked at her cuffed hand hopelessly and noticed a red mark starting to form around her wrist. She tried everything she could on the handcuffs, including the ring of the bottle cap or the hook of her bra, but it was still impenetrable.

The blonde was thinking of other ways to free herself when Travis’ voice broke through the air.

“They don’t come on the boat, okay?! We’re safe! They get a chance!”

_They? Who are they?_

Elyza stood up and stepped closer to the window as much as she could. She was on her tiptoes when the bathroom’s door was opened.

To Elyza’s surprise, Ofelia walked in. She had two slices of bread on a plate in her hand. There was no water this time, and Elyza guessed that it had to do with the fact that she put a knife to her throat the last time they met.

The woman reached out the plate, and turned to leave as soon as Elyza grabbed the food.

“Hey,” Elyza called out. “You’re Ofelia, right? What’s going on out there?”

The Latina turned around swiftly and asked. “How do you know my name? Is it one of your criminal skills?”

Elyza realized that she did not get every answer, but it was understandable.

The blonde replied with her mouth full. “I just noticed the bandage on your shoulder. Alicia said you needed some medicines, so I figured.”

“Alicia?” Ofelia huffed. “God, that girl never shuts up.”

“Chill,” Elyza said. “She was just trying to help you.”

“Chill?” Ofelia asked with disbelief. “You of all people telling me to chill? Less than a day ago, you threatened to cut my neck open.”

“I’m sorry,” Elyza said sincerely. “And I owe you for stopping your father from… you know. And it’s awesome of you to bring me food after what I did to you.”

“You can save it,” the woman replied sharply. “And just be grateful you’re still here.”

Ofelia stormed out. And Elyza sat down again after the door was slammed shut.

_Be grateful? To be locked up and bored to death?_

Elyza wondered how long she could take it without going crazy. She whistled, sang, stretched her legs for the numerous times today, and tried her best to ignore the body’s needs.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

**Alicia’s POV**

 

It was probably midnight by now, but she was still lying awake. Ofelia was sleeping soundly on the bed next to her, and Alicia wondered how she could do it after what Strand did to Alex and the sick boy.

Her mother told her the man just walked down there and chopped off the rope mercilessly, and Alicia could not stop thinking how things could be different if she tried harder to convince him to let them on board.

Her eyes started to water unconsciously, but she did not care to wipe them off.

The worst part of what had just occurred was how everyone, even her mother, went back to normal and acted like nothing happened.

_What if the only way to survive is to stop caring?_

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Elyza’s POV**

 

The morning came again. Elyza hated mornings because it reminded her there would be hours of uncertainty ahead of her, especially here, especially now.

She tried to figure out the time. It should be later than 9 AM judging from the sunlight, but the pain in her stomach said otherwise.

If she compared the time now with yesterday, the person that would bring her breakfast today was late, or worse if they completely forgot about her. It also did not help that she was thirsty, and the longer she waited, the more she panicked.

“Hey! You forgot my breakfast!” Elyza found herself shouting despite her throat being as dry as a desert.

It did not take long until Alicia walked in. The younger girl changed her shirt to a maroon turtleneck sweater, and Elyza believed that there was no type of clothes that Alicia would not look good in. She caught herself staring at her until she noticed there was no food or water with her.

“Alicia, what’s going on? Where is my…”

“Your breakfast?” The other girl interrupted her. “You should realize how lucky you are that you’re even here.”

“I heard something like that before,” Elyza replied. “Is it about what happened yesterday? I heard your voice. Who was dying?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Alicia said sadly.

“Are you okay?” Elyza was concerned. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Talk? To you?!” Alicia asked furiously. “Unbelievable.”

“Then why are you here?”

The boat stopped abruptly before Alicia could reply.

“Just great,” Alicia mumbled to herself.

“What was that about?”

“Engines down or something.”

“Whatever. You haven’t told me why you’re here.”

Alicia exhaled and sat down on the toilet. Elyza quickly noticed a bulge in her right pocket, and figured Alicia put a handgun there.

"It's dangerous to sit when you have a gun in your pants," Elyza said concernedly.

“I came here to uncuff you,” Alicia ignored her and said while playing with the key in her hand.

“Well, get on with it,” Elyza replied eagerly and stood up.

Alicia continued like she did not hear her. “But I’ve been thinking if you really deserve it.”

_What?_

“Alicia, listen,” Elyza tried to sound as calmly as she could. “I gave you the plane crash site. You’ve got new clothes and medicines.”

“So what?” Alicia suddenly sounded pissed. “There are people who helped us way more than you do. And they’re waiting to die out there when someone like you is still here.”

Elyza connected the dots and figured that the people Alicia was talking about might be the ones Travis mentioned about coming on board. She realized that they probably did not make it in the end.

“Who are they?” Elyza said. “I’ll help… I’ll help if I can.”

“It’s too late now.”

“Then let me go,” Elyza pleaded. “Travis said he would let me go. That was the deal.”

“He said he _might_ let you go,” Alicia said carefully.

It was crazy how fast Elyza could get mad when she was hungry.

“You just wanted information from me and you’ll just leave me to die, is that it?” Elyza asked angrily while pulling on her wrist repeatedly.

“We just can’t trust you yet,” Alicia explained.

“I probably starve to death before you do!” Elyza shouted at her.

She regretted it as soon as she saw the shock expression on Alicia’s face. She guessed Alicia was presumably not yelled at much in her life.

The blonde continued with calmer voice with a hint of anger. “You know what? I’m getting out of this shitty handcuffs with or without your help.”

Elyza turned to look at her wrist. It was starting to bleed now, but she did not care anymore. The blood might make it slippery, and if she kept pulling, she might be free.

“If you’re not a fan of gore, you should probably go now, cupcake,” Elyza warned.

Alicia crossed her arms and looked at her like she could not care less.

Elyza pulled hard on the handcuffs once and winced. She bit on her lip and pulled again. And before she could proceed with the third time, Alicia rushed to stop her.

“Stop it!” Alicia said and grabbed her restrained arm.

Everything after that went so fast. Elyza reached out her free hand and pulled Alicia closer by the collar of her sweater. Their faces were inches apart.

_What am I gonna do? Headbutt her?_

There were many things she could do. She could reach for the gun in her pocket, or the key in her hand. But she could not and would not do that to Alicia or anyone anymore. She had to, and wanted to prove herself.

Elyza studied the girl in front of her. Surprisingly, there was not a single fiber on her face that was scared. Green eyes challenged her, and all Elyza could think was how beautiful they were. Her eyes flicked to Alicia’s lips next. She wondered how soft they must be.

Elyza let her go as soon as her brain started to wander. It was not the right time to be turned on, and she already ruined any chance with her since the minute she lied to her on the radio.

The Aussie sank on the bathtub hopelessly, and Alicia surprised her again by unlocking her wrist.

“You didn’t have to be so dramatic,” Alicia said gently despite her words.

Elyza asked with her voice shaking while wiping her wrist with the hem of her t-shirt. “You mean you were gonna let me go from the start?”

“I don’t know,” the brunette replied. “I only know that what happened to Alex and Jake wasn’t your fault.”

Elyza was sure whoever they were, they deserved better than her. She wanted to tell Alicia how sorry she was for them, but she was too exhausted.

“Thank you,” Elyza said softly.

“Don’t thank me. You still have to stay in this room because we voted, and most of us still don’t trust you.”

“I’ll never hurt you… or anyone on this boat,” Elyza promised. “I swear it.”

Alicia looked at her possibly to weigh if she could trust her, and Elyza held the gaze because she had nothing to hide.

The brunette finally dropped her eyes and decided to change the subject.

“Stop rubbing your shirt on the wound. It’s gross.”

“Well, if you just bring me a bandage,” Elyza said weakly. “And a lot of food.”

Her eyelids felt so heavy, but they shot open when Alicia brought out a small carton of chocolate milk from the back of her jeans.

Elyza unapologetically snatched it from her and tore off the lid.

“Oh my God! Milk!” the blonde exclaimed before chucking down the whole thing.

The liquid dripped down from her mouth to her chin, but it was the least of her problem because Elyza soon realized she was crying with tears of joy.

“Jesus. You’re such a mess,” Alicia remarked.

“It’s sooooo yummy,” Elyza wiped her mouth with the arm of her shirt. “You have more of it?”

Alicia nodded. “I’ll be back with the bandage.”

“And the milk,” the Aussie reminded her.

“And the milk,” Alicia confirmed with her. “Oh, and by the way,” she said and took a banana out of her right pocket. “It wasn’t a gun.”

The brunette walked backwards elegantly and threw the fruit at the other girl. She chuckled when Elyza hugged it to her chest.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

**Alicia’s POV**

 

It had been two weeks since they left Strand’s house, but Alicia did not feel like they had come very far.

The boat had stopped moving for three hours now and it worried her. Travis was doing his best to fix it, and all everyone else could do now was wait.

Alicia looked at the still water below from the top deck. It was always too hot here in the afternoon, but it was the only place on the boat that she did not feel suffocated. It was the place she could breathe or think. And today, what on her mind was Elyza.

She hated how the blonde had effects on her. Her heart was beating fast when Elyza pulled her closer, and she was almost positive Elyza wanted to kiss her. She told herself that it was only because Elyza was good-looking, that most people were drawn by looks, and it did not mean she had feelings for her.

Her thought was instantly contradicted when she went back to tend to her wound. Her heart was racing again when their hands touched. She put bandages on Ofelia and Chris several times. Alicia thought they were both attractive, but it was different with Elyza.

It got worse when the Aussie had the nerve to ask if Alicia vouched for her when they voted. The brown haired girl left as soon as she heard the question because if she told her she did, she would admit to herself that she was warming up to her, or even falling for her. And the last thing she wanted was letting Elyza know.

Alicia was deep in her thoughts when Nick’s voice startled her.

“Hey,” the boy said behind her.

He was still in the same pants and t-shirt from three weeks ago. His feet were bare.

“Jeez, Nick. Wear shoes next time so I can hear your footsteps.”

“Nah. I love walking like this,” he shrugged.

Her brother stood next to her and looked at the water together without any more words. It was always like this with them. They could just sit together and look at stars or fireplace for hours without talking. It was just enough for them.

“So,” Nick broke the silence first this time. “How’s it going with our guest?”

“Elyza?” Alicia asked. “I uncuffed her. And now, she wouldn’t stop walking around the room.”

“That’s cute,” Nick said and laughed.

 _Cute?_ Alicia thought and turned to her brother. _Is he into her, too?_

The girl suddenly realized the admission to her feelings again, and this time it came with jealousy. She hated it and wanted it to stop.

“If you like her so much, maybe you should bring her food everyday,” Alicia tried her best to sound indifferently.

“Why?”  
  
“Why what?”

“Why everyday? Are you going somewhere?”

“I just… I don’t wanna see her anymore.”

“Why?”

“Just tell me you’ll do it.”

Nick turned to her and narrowed his eyes. His gaze made her squirm uncomfortably. It was like she was being read.

“Sure,” Nick finally said. “She’s fun to hang out with anyway.”

“She is?” Alicia found herself getting jealous again.

“What’s not to like?” the boy said casually. “She’s funny, pretty, witty. And did I mention her accent?”

“So you’re really into her,” Alicia crossed her arms and turned to him completely.

Nick burst out laughing loudly. Alicia was pretty sure the whole boat heard him.

“I’m not,” Nick said after catching his breath. “But you are.”

“I’m not!” Alicia replied automatically.

“You are,” Nick said firmly. “You should have seen your face when I complimented her.”

“You said all those things to make me jealous?” Alicia asked irritatedly.

“Gosh. This is so funny,” her brother laughed again.

“Nick, listen to me,” Alicia said in a serious tone. “I don’t wanna have feelings for her. I want it to stop. That’s why I asked you to bring her food instead of me.”

“What’s so bad about that?” Nick asked curiously. “She’s pretty cool. And I’m sure she’s into you, too.”

“Remember when she waved her gun at us? And when she put a knife to Ofelia’s throat?”

“She had to do those things to survive. And if this was prison, she had done plenty of her time.”

“Why are you defending her?” Alicia asked with her eyebrows frowned.

“Because I don’t want my sister to feel guilty for liking her.”

“Which won’t be a problem when I stop feeling that way.”

“Alicia, she’s with us now,” Nick tried to reason with her. “You can’t avoid her forever.”

“Watch me,” Alicia said determinedly.

“If you said so,” Nick did not sound convinced.

Alicia grabbed her brother’s arm and said. “Nick, promise me you won’t tell her no matter what.”

“Got it,” Nick assured with her.

“And knock before you get in,” Alicia added. “Who knows when she’ll decide to take a shower or use the toilet.”

“Don’t worry, Lyshey. I won’t peep on your girl.”

“She’s not my girl!” Alicia almost yelled at him.

Nick chuckled and turned to the sea again. His voice faded away when he spot something.

A raft was moving towards them in gradual speed. At first Alicia hoped it would be Alex and Jake, but the color of this raft was different. She noticed there were two men and a woman on it.

“We need help!” one of the men shouted. “She’s bleeding!”

Alicia had a bad feeling about this, and her brother seemed to think the same.

“Should we go down?” Alicia asked.

Nick lifted his index finger up to his lips and said quietly. “No. We stay here.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry if this chapter is so boring. As you can see, the next chapter will be very action-packed. Also SPOILERS, there will be time jump because I’m bored (of my own fic) and I want Lexark to get together already. ^_^


	4. Kill or Be Killed

**Alicia’s POV**

Alicia and Nick sat down on the deck’s floor quietly, but not before she collected the strangers’ profiles in her mind. The woman was red-headed with bangs. She was bleeding from her stomach judging from the red stain on her shirt. One of the men seemed to be roughly fifty-years-old and partly bald. Another man was younger with dark brown hair covering from the top of his head and slid down to the side of his face.

Alicia could hear Chris and Ofelia rushed to help them, and she believed Nick heard them, too, because he muttered. “Shit.”

“I don’t trust these people,” Alicia whispered. “We have to find mom… and Travis.”

“And Daniel, too. He has a gun.”

Their plan was soon crumbled when Chris started calling for his father, and Ofelia shouted out Madison’s name.

“What’s all this?” Strand’s voice could be heard from below. He sounded very annoyed.

“She’s wounded, Victor. We need to help her,” Ofelia explained.

“Let me look,” Madison said out of nowhere.

 _Oh God. Mom._ Alicia was worried she could be in danger.

It did not take long till she heard the sound of blunt object hitting on something, and the sound of people yelping or exclaiming.

An unfamiliar voice said loudly to confirm Alicia’s suspicion. “Everyone, sit down! Hands where I can see them!”

Alicia figured that it came from the younger man, when another man spoke. “Where are the kids?”

The woman followed suit. “Nick! Alicia! Where are you?!”

 _How did they know our names?_ Alicia asked herself and turned to look at Nick.

Her brother made a signal telling her to be quiet. They sat still until the woman called out again.

“Come out, or one of them die!”

Nick put his hands gently on Alicia’s shoulders and whispered. “Stay here, all right?”

As much as she wanted to help, she trusted her brother’s judgment. She looked at him climbing down the ladder slowly. He gave her one more look before disappearing from her sight.

“Where is Alicia?” the young man asked demandingly.

“She’s out diving,” Nick said.

“Where?” the man asked again.

“I don’t know,” Nick replied casually. “Around here.”

“Fine. Sit down,” the man seemed to believe him. “Ben, tie him up.”

They were quiet for a very long time, or Alicia could not hear anything until Travis spoke up.

“What do you want from us?”

_Oh no. They got him too?_

“Not what, but _whom_ ,” the young man said and laughed. “This little girl named Abigail.”

“What are you gonna do to us?” Daniel asked.

Alicia realized they were all there as soon as she heard him. They were all there except her and Elyza.

“That’s up to Connor,” the man replied and added. “Alicia is diving too long, don’t you think?”

“Reed, I think he lied to you,” the woman said.

 _Shit._ Alicia thought and braced herself to what might happen next.

“You want me to look around?” the older man asked.

Alicia processed her thoughts quickly, but carefully. If they started looking around, they would find Elyza. At the moment, they did not know about her, and she could use that fact against them. There was no way Alicia could go to the bathroom without them seeing her, and the only way her plan could work was to reveal herself.

“I’m here!” Alicia said out loud.

She climbed down to the sight of her companions with their hands tied behind their back. All three strangers had guns in their hands. She noticed that the young man, whose name should be Reed, was carrying Daniel’s shotgun.

Nick shot Alicia a disappointing look, and she glared back. She knew he did not want her to come down, but he should have known better that she did not do it without a good reason.

It did not take long until the red-headed woman shoved her down on a couch and tied her hands.

They sat quietly until Alicia blurted out. “I need to use the restroom.”

“Me too,” Reed said and shrugged. “But you can’t always get what you want, right?”

“Seriously, I have to pee,” Alicia tried again.

“Shut up or I’ll gag you,” the woman growled.

_Well, that backfired._

Alicia looked at her companions one by one and tried to come up with another plan. Her eyes landed on Travis and a light bulb suddenly went off in her head.

“Then what are we doing here?” Alicia said while the woman walked towards her dangerously. The girl ignored her and continued. “What are we waiting for? The boat’s engines are down. Why don’t you guys go do something?”

The red-headed woman stopped in her tracks and asked. “Why are you telling us this?”

“I’m bored,” Alicia tried her best to sound convincing. “At least I can look at the view if the boat freaking moves.”

Reed narrowed his eyes and said. “Ben, go check if it’s true.”

The partly bald man left obediently and came back in no time.

“It’s true,” he said. “All dead.”

“You can fix it?” Reed asked.

The older man shook his head, and the red-headed woman shrugged.

 _Okay. This should work._ Alicia thought and waited patiently.

Reed looked around the room and said. “Raise your hand if you can fix the boat,” he laughed at his own joke and added. “Just kidding.”

Alicia looked at Travis, and he looked back consideringly. She hoped that he understood what she was trying to do.

“I’ll do it,” Travis said.

“Come with me,” Reed ordered and waved his gun. “And don’t even try anything stupid.”

Travis got up from his seat. He turned to give Alicia an assuring look before walking away.

_Be safe, Travis. I’m counting on you._

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Elyza’s POV**

 

Elyza moved to the door after she could not hear anything from outside the window anymore. She knew something bad must have happened judging from the noise and the shouting earlier. She hoped that they were not being robbed again, especially not by someone who was worse than her and Luther.

The blonde pulled on the door lightly, and it did not move. She looked between the frame and the door, and found that it was locked by an outer bolt.

She was thinking of the way to unlock the door when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

“This doesn’t look like a way to the engine room.”

“I have to get my toolbox,” Travis’ voice replied.

Elyza noticed that they were coming closer. She sprinted quietly to grab her diving suit. It could be used as a weapon if they were in danger.

“You better not try anything,” the first voice said again.

“What?” Travis spoke again, and this time he was already in front of the door. “You think someone is in this room and waiting to jump you?”

 _Did he just send me a message that I should do that?_ Elyza asked herself and moved to the wall next to the door’s hinges.

“Are you trying to scare me?” the other man asked threateningly. “I know there are eight of you.”

“How did you know?” Travis asked curiously.

“Shut up and open the door,” the man ordered.

Elyza could hear the bolt move slowly to the side. She inhaled and got ready for what to come.

The door was pushed inside and Travis walked in. His hands were tied behind him. A shorter man followed him. He had a shotgun in his hands, but his back still turned to her. She did not have much time before he could turn around, and she had to risk it.

Elyza held her diving suit tightly in her hand and strangled him from behind. Fortunately, Travis used the littlest moment when the other man was shocked to bump his gun out of his hands.

The man elbowed Elyza’s side and it hurt like hell, but she could take it. He kept struggling and kicking until Travis hit him with his knees. He only stopped moving when Travis gave him a headbutt. The stranger fell lifelessly on the floor.

“Who the heck is this?” Elyza asked after catching her breath.

“A bad guy,” Travis replied vaguely and continued. “Help me lock him up.”

Elyza searched the unconscious man and found a knife and a handgun with a silencer. She used the knife to cut Travis loose right away. She was reaching for the handgun when Travis quickly grabbed and tucked it behind his pants.

“Help me lock him up,” he repeated himself.

Elyza helped carry the man’s feet and legs, and lied him down on the bathtub. She thought how funny it was that she was there a few days ago.

She turned to Travis after he locked the man’s wrists to the pipe with the handcuffs. “Travis, what’s going on?”

“These guys wanted to take our boat,” Travis explained briefly.

“How many of them?”

“Three. There are a girl and another guy in the living room.”

“Is everyone okay?”

Travis nodded. He seemed to be considering something, and Elyza knew what it was.

“Travis, I can help.”

The man still did not reply, so Elyza pushed on.

“Come on. You can’t do this alone.”

Travis exhaled and said. “All right.”

“Give me the handgun,” Elyza asked.

“No,” Travis muttered. Elyza was going to argue when he added. “You take the shotgun and sneak up on them from the side. I’ll hide the handgun in my shirt and walk back.”

Elyza nodded a few times and said. “I’ll take the girl, and you take the guy. Deal?”

Travis nodded again and told her the plan. “You head out first. But don’t do anything until I show up and handle the guy first.”

“Got it,” Elyza agreed.

She was starting to walk to get the shotgun when Travis grabbed her arm.

“Elyza,” it was weird to hear him call her by the name for the first time. “They have guns and everyone is in danger, so we have to kill them on spot, not hurt them. Are you up for that?”

The Aussie took time to think and replied. “I am.”

Before they could do anything, the man in the bathtub started to stir and moan. Elyza was quick to shove the diving suit in his mouth.

She smiled sweetly at him and said. “I just peed in it a few days ago.”

She turned around, picked up the shotgun and went outside for the first time in a long time.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

The red-headed stranger walked back and forth on the balcony, while the partly bald man stood idly in the room. Elyza had been hiding behind the outer wall on the side of the boat for five whole minutes now, but Travis still had not showed up. She was sure Nick and Ofelia spot her when she was sneaking her way here, and she felt grateful that Ofelia did not rat her out even though she did not think the woman trusted her yet.

A sound of motor from the other side of the boat startled her. It came closer and stayed at one point. Elyza noticed that the partly bald man walked to the balcony.

He said. “Connor, where are you taking him?”

“My guest requested for him, Ben,” a voice said from below.

Elyza had now figured out the voice probably came from a small boat or a raft with a motor.

“Abigail’s engines are down. He was fixing her with Reed,” the man on the balcony spoke again.

_So Travis is on the small boat with this Connor guy? Hell no._

“I didn’t see Reed,” Connor replied.

“There must be something wrong, Connor,” the redhead said. “Reed was supposed to be with him all the time.”

“Then find him,” Connor sounded like he could not care less. “And tell him to fix Abigail himself and bring her back… or don’t come back at all.”

The motor’s sound moved again. This time it got fainter and fainter as the vehicle moved away. When it was far enough, Elyza took a peek and found out that Travis was really on a raft with a man with grey hair and beard.

“I’ll find Reed,” Ben suddenly said and walked back inside and further into the boat.

It was a good chance for Elyza because there was only one of them left here, and she took it. Elyza showed up on the balcony and pointed the shotgun at the redhead.

“Drop it,” she told her.

The woman just grinned and lifted her gun up, and Travis’ voice rang up in Elyza’s head at that second.

_“We have to kill them on spot, not hurt them. Are you up for that?”_

_I am._ Elyza said to herself and pulled the trigger.

The woman collapsed on the floor, and the blonde woman who should be Nick and Alicia’ mother was fast enough to kick the gun away from her. They all soon realized that the redhead was already dead.

Elyza turned her attention to Ben, who was rushing back, possibly because he heard the gunshot. She shot at him once, but she missed. He walked forward and shot his rifle back at Elyza recklessly while she hid and the others got down on the ground.

His focus seemed to only be on Elyza because he was taken by surprise when Nick tackled him. The boy managed to keep him down on the ground with his knees for a few seconds before the man flipped him on his back and pressed the gun on his throat. Nick could not fight back due to his tied hands.

“Let him go!” Nick’s mother shouted.

She tried to bump Ben with her shoulder, but he shoved her off easily.

The man pressed harder, and Nick gasped desperately for air while his face was turning into a shade of blue.

Chris got up from the floor and headed towards him, but not before the man brought out a knife from his own pocket. He lifted it up high in the air, ready to dive down. Elyza knew, and everyone in the room knew at that moment that she had a better chance than Chris to save Nick.

The blonde aimed, closed her eyes and took the second life of the day.

Elyza felt numb. Everything after that happened in slow motion. Alicia took the knife from the perpetrator and freed herself and the others. She turned and walked towards Elyza, but not before her mother pointed the rifle she took from the man at the Aussie.

“Drop the gun,” Alicia’s mother said sharply.

It was like the voice brought her back to reality. Elyza did as she said and lifted her hands up.

“Jesus, mom, she just saved us,” Alicia said and lowered her mother’s arms instantly. “She just saved Nick!”

The woman took time to look at her. In the end, she walked away to check on her son.

“You’re okay?” Alicia asked softly.

The blonde could not give the answer right away. She looked to the left to the dead man, and to the right to the dead woman. And she looked at the people she saved, and then, at Alicia who was looking at her concernedly. She just saved them and took away the lives of people who truly deserved it, but she wondered why it felt so bad.

Elyza replied with the only answer she could say honestly. “I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry that Lexark barely talked, but honestly, I enjoyed writing this chapter the most. I personally love action sequences. :) Anyway, I think the next chapter will have a lot of fluff. ;) And don’t worry. I didn’t forget about Tarvis. We’ll save him soon.


	5. Girl Scout

**Alicia’s POV**

It had been an hour since Elyza saved their lives and Travis was taken. Alicia helped Ofelia clean up the floor after they dumped the bodies in the sea. She started to think if her life would always be like this from now on.

Alicia looked around after she wiped off the last spot of blood. Her mother, Daniel and Strand were no where to be seen. She figured that they might be in the control room to plan on how to get Travis back. Nick, Ofelia and Chris also disappeared from her sight.

Elyza was sitting on a couch by herself, the same place she had been since everyone went their separate ways. Her eyes were focused on somewhere far away, and Alicia wondered what was going on in her mind.

Alicia was deciding whether she should go to talk to her or not, when her mother stormed in with Nick being hot on her trail.

“Mom, I’ll go,” Nick said.

“No,” Madison replied sharply.

“Why not?” Nick asked.

“Because you want to,” Madison replied.

Nick was stunned by the answer. He and Madison stared at each other challengingly like there was no one else in the room.

“What’s going on?” Alicia chimed in in hoping to break the tension.

“Mom’s gonna go get Travis back… alone,” Nick told her.

“It’s too dangerous,” Alicia turned to her mother. “How are you gonna do that?”

“Connor contacted us. He said he’d let him go in exchange for his brother,” Madison said.

“That guy is his brother?” Alicia asked.

Madison ignored her and walked to Elyza, who already got up and had been listening to their conversation.

“You said he was in the bathroom, right?” Madison asked the Australian girl.

“Yep, he’s in _my_ bathtub,” Elyza replied. “I hate when people sleep in my bed.”

Alicia liked the fact that Elyza was well enough to make a joke, but she thought it was not the right time to joke or laugh.

“Is he locked up?” Madison asked again.

Elyza nodded and added. “Madison, I can go. If something happens, it’s better if it’s me than you. Your children need you here.”

They were all shocked by her offer. Alicia did not want anyone to risk their lives, but someone had to go, and it would be better to be Elyza, who seemed to know best how to handle guns. But she also wondered if Elyza was up for the task after she had just killed two people.

“No,” Madison put a stop to it. “I don’t trust you.”

“Mom, she just saved our lives,” Nick argued.

“I mean that I don’t trust her to do everything she could to save Travis. It has to be me,” Madison explained to her son and turned to Elyza. “And for the record, I’m grateful you saved us, but I guess I still don’t trust you.”

“Fair enough,” Elyza said with her hands up.

“Mom, please. I love Travis, too. I can…,” Nick insisted only to be interrupted by the sound of a gunshot from the inside of the boat.

Nick ran to the sound instantly, while Madison followed him. Before she left, she turned around to tell Elyza and Alicia to stay put.

“Give me the knife,” Elyza asked Alicia and opened her palm.

“Why?” Alicia asked defensively.

“Just in case that asshole got out or something. I can protect you.”

“Maybe _I_ can protect you,” Alicia said grumpily. “You don’t have to coddle me. I have literally everyone else for that.”

Elyza looked at her for a few seconds and said. “In case you didn’t notice, I have more experience about this kind of thing.”

“I noticed,” Alicia voiced her concern. “That now you don’t look so well, after what just happened.”

“I’m fine,” Elyza lied and she did not fool Alicia.

“You’re not,” Alicia replied. “And we’ll talk about that later after I make sure my mom and Nick are okay.”

The brunette made her way further into the boat, but Elyza was quick to grab her shoulder.

“Wait, you shouldn’t…,” Elyza called out and was cut off when Alicia’s elbow poked her side by accident. “Ouch!”

Alicia did not waste her time to roll Elyza’s shirt up. There was a big bruise starting to form above the left side of her hip.

“Jeez,” Alicia exclaimed and touched the bruise lightly.

When she looked up, she found that Elyza was looking at her in the way that she had not been looked at for a while.

Her heart was beating fast. She did not know how long she held Elyza’s gaze until Ofelia walked in.

 _It’s like when…_ Alicia thought. _When Matt looked at me._

“Yikes. That’s some big bruise,” Ofelia remarked. “I’ll get you some ice.”

A pang of guilt hit Alicia. She should not feel this way for anyone this soon, not after she just lost Matt. But yet, Elyza stirred up something inside her not just now, but since the first time they talked on the radio.

Alicia looked away and let go off Elyza’s shirt. She walked to Ofelia while she could feel Elyza’s eyes following her.

“What happened?” Alicia asked her friend.

“Chris shot him. He said he was gonna attack him.”

“Oh my God. Is he dead?”

Ofelia nodded and tossed a pack of ice to Elyza, and Alicia liked the fact that Ofelia seemed to warm up to Elyza.

“I don’t think so,” the blonde said.

“What do you mean?” the Latina asked.

Suddenly, they could hear Nick and Daniel exclaiming and shouting.

“Told ya,” Elyza said casually and ran to the sound.

Alicia ran after her instantly.

When they arrived at the bathroom, everything was already handled. Daniel had finished binding Reed’s hands behind him while Nick was pushing him against the wall. Alicia noticed that the man who was trying to rob them an hour ago was now an infected.

“Don’t tell me mom is getting on a boat with _that_ ,” Alicia said without directing at anyone in particular.

“It’s the only way, Alicia,” Daniel said.

Madison showed up with Chris, who obviously just finished crying.

Her mother said. “I’m ready.”

“Mom…,” Alicia started.

Madison shot her a ‘Don’t say a word’ look, and Alicia knew to obey her. Sometimes she hated that her mother took control of everything, but she also knew it was because she always knew what to do.

Alicia walked over to hug her mother and mumbled. “Be careful.”

She was not surprised that her brother just gave Madison a glare and left.

The rest of them walked with her and the infected to where Reed’s raft was located.

“I should be back with Travis in one or two hours,” Madison said. “If we’re not back by then, you know what it means.”

“Don’t say that,” Alicia mumbled.

“I love you, Alicia,” Madison continued to make her worry. “Take care of your brothers.”

“Ugh, mom,” Alicia refused to say the words back because she believed her mother would be back. “Just make sure you come back safe.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

It had been an hour since her mother left Abigail. Alicia had been on the top deck the whole time with binoculars in her hands, looking for any sign of her mother coming back. There was only water in front of her, and everything seemed worse when the sunlight started to dim down.

“She’s not back yet?” Elyza’s voice startled her.

The Australian showed up next to her, freshly bathed. She was in one of Ofelia’s shirts, which was technically once Alicia’s shirt. Elyza looked even more gorgeous when she was clean.

Alicia nodded and replied. “If she’s not back in twenty minutes, I’m gonna go after her.”

“If it comes to that, I’ll do it,” Elyza said without hesitation. “They don’t know who I am.”

“No way. You’ve done enough,” Alicia protested. “And you’re hurt.”

“It’s just a bruise,” Elyza said. “And it hurt less than when you punched me, by the way.”

Alicia gave the blonde a proud smirk and looked away. She did not think she should hold eye contact with Elyza for too long.

When she looked in the binoculars, she saw a movement.

Her mother was back with Travis lying unconsciously on the raft. She could hear faint gunshots after them.

“Where did you keep my guns?” Elyza urgently asked.

Alicia knew if Elyza killed more people, it would break her even more, but in this case, she had no choice.

“In my mom’s room,” Alicia replied. “I’ll take you there.”

When they got into the room, Elyza took four or five pieces of guns and put them together skillfully. Alicia took a note in her mind to ask her later why she was good at this, or where she and her brother got the guns from.

Nick and Chris also had the same idea, but both Elyza and Alicia explained to them that they could avoid shooting at Madison or Travis by accident if they let Elyza handle the situation.

“What? We trust her now?” Chris asked with annoyance in his voice.

“Chris,” Alicia said and shook her head. “Not now.”

The four of them went back to the top deck again, and Elyza looked into the scope of the gun in her hand. Alicia could see another raft coming after the one her mother was on.

One man was controlling the raft, while the other was shooting at Madison.

Elyza was breathing hard by her side. Alicia could see her sweat and how her left hand was trembling on the trigger.

“Hey,” Alicia said and put her hand on Elyza’s left arm. “You don’t have to kill them.”

Elyza turned to look at her for a moment.

“Shoot their raft,” Alicia continued. “Shoot their hands or something.”

Elyza exhaled and pulled the trigger.

She did as Alicia suggested, and they could see the man’s gun fell off his hand into the sea. The bad guys could not harm them or do anything except following them.

Elyza did not wait too long to shoot their raft and deflate it.

“I hope they’re good at swimming,” Elyza muttered.

“Come on,” Alicia said and led them to the dock below.

Daniel, Strand and Ofelia showed up and joined them. The old man took a glance at Elyza and the gun in her hand, but he did not say anything.

They waited patiently until Madison reached Abigail. Alicia was relieved to find that her mother was unharmed and Travis was only knocked unconscious. The boys helped take Travis to the room he shared with Madison.

All they needed now was waiting for Travis to wake up and get the boat’s engines to work again.

It did not take much for Madison to realize Elyza just saved her again.

“You saved us,” Madison said to Elyza.

Alicia wished she could have said ‘thank you’, but she understood that it would take time for her mother or anyone to give Elyza a warm welcome.

“She should have killed them,” Daniel chimed in. “Now we have to keep watch to make sure they don’t climb on our boat.”

It was another time the old man bothered Alicia with his way of thinking. And she wondered if it was because of his thoughts or because he might be right.

“I’ll cover the back,” Elyza offered and added. “If you guys don’t mind, of course.”

It was surprising that nobody protested.

“I’ll take this side,” Chris said and motioned to the left side of the boat.

“No, Chris,” Madison disagreed. “You should stay with your father.”

The boy gazed at her mom intensely and left to his father’s room. There was something going on with Chris and it worried her.

“I’ll take this side, and Daniel takes the other. And Strand can look at the front,” Nick spoke and asked sarcastically. “Do you approve, mom?”

Madison took a deep breath and nodded.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

The sun was setting when Alicia got to the top deck. Elyza’s back turned to her with her hair down. The sight almost looked like a piece of art in the dusk.

Alicia took time to appreciate it until Elyza turned around.

“Yo,” the blonde greeted.

“Hey,” Alicia greeted back. “I brought your stuff.”

She motioned to the bag hanging on her shoulder, and a folded tent in her arm.

“Thanks, Alicia,” Elyza said and asked. “Is that a tent?”

“We don’t have any room left, so Strand let you borrow his tent.”

“I guess I don’t have to go back to that bathroom, huh?”

“Guess not,” Alicia shrugged. “You can crash on the couches downstairs if you want.”

“Nah, tent’s fine,” Elyza said and turned back to the sea again. “I’ve kind of missed camping.”

“I bet,” Alicia said mindlessly. “You’re kind of the Girl Scout around here.”

“Oh yeah? You think so?”

Alicia put the bag and the tent down and walked to her.

“Where did you learn how to shoot and put guns together and all that?”

“Where do you think?”

“Your brother taught you?”

“Duh,” that was all Elyza said.

“Where did you get those guns?”

“Did your mom send you to ask these questions?”

“Maybe I just want to know you.”

Elyza turned to study her and started to speak. “My brother used to work at an army post in San Francisco… as a janitor, but he knew where they kept the guns.”

“So he stole them when these crazy things started to happen?”

“Even before that,” Elyza said. “He stole them pieces by pieces, and no one even noticed. It was his collection… his obsession.”

“Jesus. He sounded… intense,” Alicia chose her words carefully. “I’m sorry.”

“I know what he was, but he always took care of me, and he taught me many things. I wouldn’t survive this long if it wasn’t for him,” Elyza continued. “But I let him die.”

“You did the right thing,” Alicia assured her. “He could have killed all of us.”

“I hope you’re right,” Elyza said sadly.

“I know I am,” Alicia said. “If you were still with him, you might have to do many things you wouldn’t want to.”

“But I just did what I didn’t want to do anyway, didn’t I?”

Alicia realized that she was talking about killing those people earlier today.

“There was no other way,” Alicia confirmed with her. “We all have to do things to survive. I just killed a bunch of infected on the beach and I couldn’t sleep. I guess it’s much worse for you.”

“I guess,” Elyza agreed. “You know if those guys swim to our boat, I’ll have to kill them, too, right?”

“You don’t have to,” Alicia replied within a heartbeat. “You can just shoot their legs and we’ll tie them up, and drop them off somewhere.”

Elyza chuckled. “You’re too nice for your own good.”

“Nice and useless. That’s me,” Alicia muttered.

Elyza gasped and turned to her again. “Woah. You’re so not useless.”

“I think Daniel and Strand will disagree with you.”

“Screw them,” Elyza said with certainty. “You’re like… the mom of the boat.”

It was Alicia’s turn to laugh.

“I think that would be my mom… and Ofelia. We already have plenty of the moms.”

“Then you’re the shrink.”

“How so?”

“This,” Elyza pointed back and forth between them. “Is therapeutic.”

“Only to you,” Alicia argued. “Chris wouldn’t talk to me when I asked if he was okay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I think he needs some time,” Alicia said and added. “I just… don’t want to feel like I’m useless all the time.”

“You’re not,” Elyza assured her again. “The little things you do matter even if no one notices, Alicia.”

Alicia could feel her face getting warmer by the words, but she tried to ignore it. She promised herself to stop having feelings for Elyza, but it was so difficult.

“Thanks for saying that. Still,” Alicia said after calming down. “Can you teach me how to shoot sometimes?”

“For sure,” Elyza agreed.

Her answer took Alicia by surprise.

“That’s a first,” Alicia remarked. “Anyone else on this boat would tell me to forget it.”

“Anything for my shrink, Doctor Clark,” Elyza joked.

They laughed together and Alicia’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of Elyza laughing.

The blonde caught her staring and stared back. Neither of them wanted to look away, and Elyza’s task to keep an eye on the dock was completely forgotten.

Alicia’s heart was slamming against her chest while she was wondering what was going to happen next.

Before they could move, the sound of the engines started to roar loudly, and Alicia felt like she just realized where she was.

“Well,” Alicia cleared her throat and said. “Looks like Travis fixed the engines. That means dinner is coming soon.”

“Good,” Elyza sounded like she just woke up as well. “Dinner is good.”

“You’re welcome to join us when you’re certain that those guys won’t come to our boat,” Alicia said and hated that she always sounded formal when she was nervous around people she was attracted to.

“I’ll just stay here for a while,” Elyza told her. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“See you,” Alicia said.

 _Oh my God. What just happened?_ She thought while rushing down the ladder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the late update. I just wasn’t in the mood for so long. :’) And sorry for teasing. I just thought it would be too soon for them to kiss now. :P I think I’ll do time jump in the next chapter, so they can kiss already, lol.


	6. Leave Her Be

**Elyza’s POV**

The sky was clear and blue like yesterday and the day before. It would not be long until the first seagull came to sight.

Elyza lied on a seat on the top deck with nothing but her bra and panties like she did everyday since she settled in. Everyday was the same. She woke up, had breakfast with her boatmates and came back to her ‘room’ to get tanned.

Sometimes she wanted to stay below to fish or cook like most of her companions did in their free time, but she could tell that some of them were not so comfortable having her around.

Nick and Ofelia came to talk to her sometimes, and Travis came to ask for information. But Alicia hardly showed up. They met only at dinner, and Elyza wondered if Alicia was ignoring her.

Since the evening they talked on the deck, Elyza could tell that Alicia was into her as much as she was into her. After that day, Alicia was still nice to her every time they got to talk, but there was some distance, and Elyza could not blame her.

The blonde spent most of her time thinking of the reasons Alicia was being distant. She figured that it was either Alicia realized she could not trust her, or she needed some time after she lost her boyfriend. Either way, Elyza could only leave her be.

Elyza flipped through the magazine she took from downstairs and thought today was going to be another boring day when Alicia showed up on top of the stairs.

The brunette blushed the same way she did when she saw Elyza in underwear for the first time, but she collected herself quickly and got straight to the point she was here to do.

“Daniel said he wanted to talk to everyone,” Alicia said.

“Hello to you, too,” Elyza could not help but teasing her.

“Um, okay,” Alicia replied and added awkwardly. “He’s waiting.”

“I’ll get down there in a minute.”

Alicia stayed for a few seconds and left, and Elyza felt that it hurt her more every time Alicia ignored her.

The Australian girl got dressed and joined her companions downstairs. They were in the dining room. A distinct smell hit Elyza’s nose before she could see a fish lying lifelessly on the table.

“Ugh. What the hell is this?” Elyza asked. “Are we eating rotten fish now?”

“It was alive a few minutes ago,” Daniel replied. “Until I killed it.”

The old man used the knife in his hand to slice the fish, and everyone else stepped back instinctively. The fish’s gut came out as it should, but the meat was completely rotten and green. Elyza noticed there was blood mingling here and there between the meat.

“I’m gonna puke,” Alicia said.

“Me too,” Ofelia agreed.

“What does this mean?” Madison asked Daniel.

“It was alive when it was already rotten,” Daniel said with his usual indifferent voice.

“Are you saying this fish was a zombie?” Elyza asked the old man.

Everybody gave her a questioning look, so she had to make it clear to them.

“Infected.”

“Yes,” Daniel confirmed with her.

“This means we can’t rely on seafood anymore,” Travis said. “We need supplies.”

“Do you think we already ate some of them?” Chris asked out of nowhere.

Elyza never liked the boy, but she found his question funny.

“That’s not helping, dude,” Nick told Chris.

“What do we do now?” Alicia asked no one in particular.

“Where are we now, Victor?” Madison asked Strand.

“We’re not too far from San Diego,” Strand replied. “Maybe we can find some food there.”

“We can’t,” Elyza said abruptly. “I heard the army already bombed that place down. You won’t find many things there.”

It was the first time her companions seemed to trust her and listen to her, and it felt strange.

“Where do you suggest we go?” Daniel asked.

“Catrina Island,” Elyza said without hesitation. “We have to head back a little, but it was the only place around here that’s still untouched.”

“Still?” Travis asked. “You mean they can bomb it anytime?”

“No,” Elyza replied. “I’m sure they’re already gone. Typical thing for them to do, to be honest.”

Travis ignored the last part and turned to Strand. “What do you think, Strand?”

Strand looked at Elyza considerlingly for a while and replied. “I guess we’re going to Catrina Island.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Strand took them to the first dock on the island he could find. It was in front of a few houses. They could see from outside that one of the houses was still occupied even though they could not see any human in sight.

Travis suggested that only him and his family went, so the person or people in the house would not feel too crowded. Elyza stayed on the boat with Strand, Daniel and Ofelia. When Travis and his family walked away, she could see that Alicia turned to look at her for a second and turned away.

Elyza wished she could tell her to take care of herself, but all she could do was looking at her until she was too far away.

The blonde got back in the boat. She was heading back to her space, when she could hear Daniel call her name.

“Daniel, Ofelia, what’s up?” Elyza asked when she met them in the living room.

“They’re not going to get enough supplies from here,” the Latino said.

“I guess not,” Elyza agreed. “Unless whoever living in that house is a hoarder.”

“We also need more bandages,” Ofelia added. “Chris and I used almost all of them. We don’t need them now, but who knows what will happen in the future.”

“I was thinking we could go to the other side of the town,” Daniel suggested.

Elyza looked behind her to the other side of the island. There were stores, hotels and churches along the beach. They would definitely find anything they were looking for there.

“Good idea, but I bet we’ll meet a bunch of infected tourists there,” Elyza replied.

“Papa, listen to her,” Ofelia said to her father. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Which means only Elyza and I can do this,” Daniel said.

“Then let me go with you,” Ofelia asked.

“No, Ofelia,” Daniel refused. “You stay here and keep an eye on Strand.”

Elyza was curious when she heard what he said.

“Keep an eye on Strand? We shouldn’t trust him or something?” Elyza asked the old man.

Daniel did not reply. Instead, he walked to get a few guns and gave them to Elyza and himself. His other hand held a few empty bags.

“It’s windy. Here, take this,” Ofelia said and took off the jacket she was wearing.

The jacket was shiny and white with black stripes on both sides of the arms. Elyza had a feeling that the jacket was not Ofelia’s.

“Is this Alicia’s?” Elyza asked the other woman.

“She wouldn’t mind,” Ofelia assured her. “I wear her clothes all the time.”

“Mmkay,” Elyza mumbled and put on the jacket.

“Be careful,” Ofelia said before they left. “Both of you.”

“You too, Ofelia,” Elyza said and made her way to the beach ahead of her.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

**Alicia’s POV**

 

Alicia could not believe what happened. Not long ago, she was sipping wine and talked to a little boy and girl in the house. But now one of them was dead along with her parents. They were going to take the boy with them, only to be interrupted by his teenage brother, Seth.

Seth pointed a gun at them, and Alicia was panicked at the fact that she was starting to get used to situations like this.

The boys were gone, and they had a new issue to worry about.

Ofelia told everyone that Daniel and Elyza headed to the town to get more supplies. It was technically a good idea because they got nothing from the house, but all Alicia could do now was hoping for Elyza and Daniel to come back safely.

The girl was slightly upset that her family went to do their things while herself and Ofelia were worried about Daniel and Elyza.

They were on the top deck and took turn to look through the binoculars for a sign of Daniel and Elyza coming back. It did not help that everything around her smelled like Elyza now.

“Give me the binoculars,” Alicia asked Ofelia.

“Again?” Ofelia protested. “It’s my turn.”

“Do you see anything?” Alicia asked eagerly.

“Not yet,” Ofelia replied and added. “Don’t worry. Elyza will be fine. She’s quite a badass. I’m more worried about my dad.”

 _Am I that obvious?_ Alicia asked herself and decided not to reply to her friend.

Two people seemed to know about her feelings for Elyza despite Alicia trying her best to stay away from the blonde girl. She determined to try harder. But at the moment, she wanted to make sure Elyza and Daniel would be safe.

A few gunshots were fired at the same time Ofelia said “Here they are. Elyza just killed the last infected.”

Alicia was going to take the binoculars from Ofelia when the Latina was already heading down the stairs.

“Come on,” Ofelia called out. “They should be here in a few minutes.”

They waited patiently along with the rest of Abigail’s passengers.

Daniel and Elyza showed up with two full bags in both of their hands. Chris and Nick moved to help them without any words. Ofelia ran to hug her father, and Alicia wanted desperately to do the same with Elyza.

It was when she noticed the jacket Elyza was wearing.

 _Matt._ Alicia thought.

There were bloodstains in front of it. Her most favorite jacket was tainted, and she should not mind as long as everyone was safe. But she was upset because it was the jacket Matt gave her on her birthday last year.

“Give me my jacket,” Alicia asked after walking to Elyza.

She hoped she did not sound angry because the least she could do now was to not blame Elyza.

The blonde did as she asked and said. “I’m sorry I ruined it, Alicia.”

“No, it’s fine,” Alicia mumbled. “You couldn’t have avoided it.”

“I was the one who lent her,” Ofelia chimed in. “It’s my fault. I can wash it later.”

“It’s fine, Ofelia,” Alicia assured with her and hoped she bought it. “I’ll take care of it later.”

Everyone else on the boat thanked Daniel and Elyza for the supplies while Alicia could still feel Elyza’s eyes on her. There were too many mixed emotions going on inside her after a rough day, so she did the only thing she could think of, which was walking back to her room.

Later that night, when Ofelia was already asleep, Alicia sneaked out with her jacket. She took a brush and detergent from the bathroom and headed to the lower deck. She settled down next to the water and started rubbing on the fabric.

She did not know how long she was there, but the stains would not go away. Tears started rolling down her face when she saw the tattoo on her left arm. She bit her lip and started rubbing again.

Alicia thought at least she had the time for herself to process everything until she heard Elyza’s voice from above.

“Hey. Whatcha doing?”

Elyza was looking down at her from the top deck. She looked good in moonlight as much as she did in sunlight, and it took Alicia a while to come up with a response.

“Go back to sleep, Elyza.”

The blonde disappeared from her sight as soon as she heard her. Alicia was relieved Elyza was gone until she could see her climbing down the stairs.

_Of course she would come down here._

“Need help with that?” Elyza asked when she was close enough.

“No,” Alicia replied briefly.

“Looks like normal detergent won’t do it,” Elyza remarked.

“Can you leave me alone?” Alicia asked.

Elyza looked at her concernedly, and Alicia was sure she could see she was crying by now. She hoped Elyza would not ask if she was crying because that would make her cry harder.

“I will…,” Elyza replied. “If you go to bed and we’ll find a way to make it clean tomorrow.”

“I’ll get it done tonight,” Alicia said stubbornly.

“You must love this jacket very much,” Elyza said and sat down next to her.

Alicia froze at the words. She did not reply and started working on the task again. She was hoping that Elyza would not connect the dots so fast, but she did.

“Did Matt give you?” Elyza asked.

Alicia replied her with silence again, and rubbing on the jacket harder.

“Hey, now,” Elyza said and scooted closer. “Don’t rub it too hard. You don’t wanna scratch your hands and get infected.”

Elyza’s persistence annoyed Alicia, but also made her heart beat fast, so she did her best to ignore her advice to spite her.

“I don’t care,” Alicia muttered.

She rubbed on the cloth the hardest she could. This time, with her hands.

“Stop it,” Elyza said. “You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Alicia could not and would not stop. She thought she was going crazy, and she did not care.

She could see her hands moving and moving, until they stopped and she realized Elyza was grabbing both of her wrists.

“Let me go!” Alicia yelled at her.

“Not until you calm down, sweetie,” Elyza mumbled while struggling to keep Alicia from moving.

It was the first time in a long time that Elyza called her with pet names. Alicia both loved and hated that it came so naturally to the blonde. It also caused her to stop moving and just looked at the girl in front of her.

Elyza took the chance to stroke Alicia’s hair from her face and wiped off her tears with her thumb. Her other hand let go of Alicia’s hand and held it instead.

“I can’t lose you,” Elyza said softly.

Alicia let go of the hand they were holding, and the action caused a painful expression on Elyza’s face for a moment until Alicia used the now free hand to gently grab the back of Elyza’s head and brought their lips together.

The action shocked both herself and Elyza, but everything was forgotten when she could feel Elyza’s lips relax against hers.

Their kiss was soft and slow, and made Alicia dizzy. She could feel a tingle in her stomach when Elyza nibbled on her lower lip. It was only when Alicia heard her own moan that she pulled away.

Guilt suddenly washed over her. A few minutes ago, she was crying over Matt, and now she just enjoyed kissing another person.

Elyza must have figured out what was going on, because she held her hand again.

“It’s okay,” Elyza comforted her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It’s not okay,” Alicia replied.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Elyza asked with concern in her voice.

“No,” Alicia said and got up.

She grabbed the jacket from the floor and started to leave.

Before she could do so, she turned to Elyza and said despite how sad the other girl looked.

“Forget what just happened. Just… forget it.”

Alicia walked away with tears rolling down her face again.

_Please. Forget it, because I don’t think I can._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for angst, but you know they’ll work things out. :’) And I know they went to Catrina Island (Santa Catalina Island in our real world) in ep 2 before they met Alex and other eps after that, but I wanna switch things up a little. And fun fact: I went to the island two months ago. It was lovely. 100% would recommend.  
> And lastly, thanks so much for your support, whether you write a reviews or not. The number of people who read my fics always encourages me to keep writing. :) <3


	7. Layover

**Elyza’s POV**

Elyza peeked open one of her eyes to the brightness that made it through her tent. She sighed and sat up since she realized there was no use to try to sleep again after she could not do it for three nights now.

The fresh memory of Alicia kissing her kept replaying in her head, but what kept her awake was when she pulled away and told her to forget it ever happened.

Alicia clearly had not moved on from Matt, and Elyza wanted to kick herself for being upset by the girl’s action.

The blonde let out another yawn and pulled the zipper in front of the tent. She was surprised by the sight of Alicia sitting with both of her legs on the bench with a mug in her hand after they spent the last few days avoiding each other. Alicia was sipping on coffee while enjoying the view of the ocean, and had no idea Elyza was already in her presence.

“Legs off my tanning bench,” Elyza said grumpily.

Alicia turned her head to her instantly and mumbled so quietly that Elyza almost could not hear her. “Hey.”

Judging from how worn out Alicia looked, Elyza figured that she did not get enough sleep as well.

“Hey,” Elyza replied and tucked her knees to her chest. “You look like you stayed up the whole night.”

Alicia turned to her completely now, but she would not look up from her mug.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened that nig-…,” the brunette started.

“I thought nothing happened, according to you,” Elyza cut the other girl off before she could finish the sentence. She added when she thought she might sound too harsh. “Sorry. I always sound like a bitch when I’m sleepy.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Alicia looked up for the first time.

“For what?”

“I don’t know. For hurting you,” Alicia said. “For making things awkward between us.”

Alicia looked truly sad when she said the words, and it hurt Elyza much more than rejection.

“Hey, listen. You have nothing to be sorry about,” Elyza said softly. “You need time. I get it.”

“I do need time,” Alicia agreed. “But I also need you.”

“What are you saying?”

“I missed talking to you.”

“We haven’t talked for only a few days, Alicia,” Elyza teased her and smiled in hoping to ease the tension between them.

“I know, but I missed talking to you and laughing at your stupid jokes,” Alicia said and added after a long pause. “I don’t want us to act like strangers.”

“I don’t want that either,” Elyza replied.

“Can we try to be friends again?” Alicia asked.

 _Friends._ The word rang inside Elyza’s head.

It did not mean it was forever. It did not mean Alicia stopped having feelings for her. Yet, Elyza could feel the pain slowly building up in her chest.

But Alicia did not need to know that.

“You know I’d do anything for you, Alicia,” Elyza said and hoped Alicia knew she really meant it.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Days passed and being in the friend zone was not as hard to deal as Elyza expected, partly because so many things happened.

Strand stopped the boat in the middle of nowhere one day, and it turned out that he did it to wait for Nick to come back with another man named Luis. Strand finally told everyone that they were heading to Baja, and they would be welcome only if Luis arrived with them.

The incident made Madison furious because Strand sent Nick to do the mission without telling her. She was also angry with her son for not asking for her permission. The rest of them could only try to keep the peace between them. After that, they had to deal with a gunfight on the boat that killed Luis. And then, they were greeted with the infected on the land.

It was the first time Elyza saw Alicia fight, and she was relieved to know Alicia could take care of herself and even protect the others. And here they were, in the back of a truck on the way to a house owned by some guy named Thomas Abigail, who was apparently the real owner of the boat.

Alicia was smiling most of the time, and Elyza wondered how she could do it after a rough day.

“What?” Alicia asked after catching the blonde staring at her.

The smile was still on her lips.

“You look kinda chill for someone who just stabbed a bunch of people in their eye sockets,” Elyza commented.

“I’m trying to forget about that,” Alicia replied after a frown. “I’m just happy to finally have a place to stay for real. Aren’t you?”

Elyza took time to think before responding. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like there’s something fishy going on here.”

“Like what?” Nick chimed in from her right.

“Like how those infected at the church had no wound except the ones we made on them,” Elyza explained. “It’s almost like… they chose to turn.”

“You think too much, Elyza,” Madison said and added. “We’re here now and we’re safe.”

“I hope you’re right,” Elyza mumbled and looked around to find more clues.

They arrived a few minutes later and were asked to leave their weapons outside. The people in front of the house greeted them with a warm welcome, and Elyza could only give them the benefit of the doubt.

Strand rushed to see Thomas as soon as a woman named Celia told him he was bitten. Elyza could tell by Strand’s expression that they were more than friends, and she felt deeply sorry that they had to say goodbye just when they finally reunited.

The blonde spent her time exploring the Abigail estate after settling in and taking a shower. There was nothing suspicious so far except the owl symbols around the house here and there, but Elyza thought they were just a part of personal beliefs of people around here.

They had dinner in silence while Strand was still in the room with Thomas. Daniel was also not here, and according to Ofelia, he already went to bed.

When they were done, Elyza did not waste her time to go outside. To her surprise, she could see Daniel talking with a boy from far away. They soon headed to somewhere that seemed to be a cellar. Elyza’s eyes fixed on them and her feet stepped after them until a man with a beard showed up out of nowhere.

“You shouldn’t be outside at night,” he said with his local accent.

“Why? Can’t a girl get some fresh air?” Elyza tried her best to sound convincing.

“Please go back inside,” the man insisted again.

“Come on, man. I’ll just walk around for a few minutes.”

Before he could reply, Elyza could hear the door open behind her, and she did her best to suppress her sigh when she saw Celia walking out.

“Is there any problem here, Jorge?” Celia asked the man.

“I just wanna take a walk. I have nothing else to do, Celia,” Elyza replied instead of him.

Celia took a look at her so long that made Elyza uncomfortable and asked.

“Elyza, right?”

“Yes, that’s my name,” Elyza replied.

“You’re welcome to enjoy our beautiful garden in the morning, Elyza. But for now, you should rest after a long day. Or you can watch TV or read our books,” Celia said with a smile on her face, but there was a tone underneath that made Elyza feel like she should not argue with her. And the longer she spent time talking to this woman, the more it made her skin crawl.

“Wow. That sounds fun. Thanks, Celia,” Elyza said and faked a smile.

She glanced briefly to Daniel’s way and found that the old man already disappeared. She went inside the house and hoped that Daniel found whatever they were hiding, so she could ask him about it later.

Elyza was on her way to the living room when Chris walked out and bumped into her. The boy continued to walk without talking or even looking at her.

 _Jeez. What’s his deal?_ Elyza thought and made her way to the living room.

Alicia was watching TV on the couch with a white blanket wrapping around her, and the sight suddenly made Elyza less frustrated about Celia and Chris.

“Hey, _burrito_ ,” Elyza greeted.

“Hey,” Alicia replied quietly.

The older girl could tell that something was bothering her.

“You’re okay?” Elyza asked. “I saw Chris earlier. Did you guys fight or something?”

“I’m good,” Alicia lied and quickly changed the subject. “You can change the channel if you want.”

Elyza got the message that Alicia did not want to talk about Chris, so she sat down next to her.

“How do they still broadcast things these day?” Elyza asked.

“Who knows?” Alicia replied and shrugged. “They even have wi-fi.”

“For real?” Elyza asked surprisingly and added. “See? I think this place is a part of some creepy organization.”

“You watch too many movies,” Alicia said.

“You should be careful, just in case,” Elyza warned.

Alicia nodded and turned to the TV again. Some animated cartoon in black and white was on it and they watched in silence until Elyza asked for her phone.

“What for?” Alicia asked.

“I wanna see how my fam and friends are doing over there.”

Alicia motioned to her phone on the coffee table and said. “Sure. Go ahead.”

Elyza tapped on Facebook icon and Alicia’s picture with a guy who seemed to be Matt was the first thing she saw.

“Sorry. I’ll log out,” the Aussie mumbled.

“It’s fine.”

“He seemed like a great guy,” Elyza said after typing in her email address and password.

“He was,” Alicia said with a sad smile on her face.

Elyza smiled back and looked down to see her own notifications. There were about fifty of them, but most of them were her one-night standers in the past who tried to add her.

“That’s a lot of girls,” Alicia remarked. “They’re your exes?”

Alicia sounded jealous and curious, but Elyza did not want to assume.

“They’re not,” Elyza said playfully. “And stop snooping.”

“All right,” Alicia said and leaned back on the couch. “I hope your hometown is still safe.”

“It is,” Elyza said after checking the news. “But I’m sure it won’t be long until… you know.”

“You should make a video to tell everyone how to deal with the infected,” Alicia suggested.

“Good idea!” Elyza agreed.

“Don’t forget to set the privacy to ‘public’,” Alicia told her.

Elyza nodded and started recording right away.

“Hey, everyone. Elyza Lex here, live from Mexico,” she made sure to sound like a newscaster. “As many of you know, things are going crazy all over North and South America. Some might say people started eating each other now. And you know what? They’re right.”

Alicia was starting to chuckle now, so Elyza turned the camera to her.

“Today, my assistant, Miss Alicia Clark, will tell you how to deal with the so-called infected when they finally make their way to Australia,” Elyza continued.

“Just stab them in the head,” Alicia said with a monotone voice.

“That’s right, people. That always works effectively,” Elyza said. She stood up and threw the phone to Alicia. “Here, take this. I gotta demonstrate with the remote control.”

Alicia lifted her hands up by instinct and the blanket slid down from her shoulders in process. Prominent red marks on her arms could be seen right away.

“What are those marks?” Elyza asked concernedly and sat back on the couch.

“Nothing,” Alicia dismissed her question. “Let’s just finish your video, okay?”

Elyza quickly took the phone from her and posted the video. She set aside the object and turned her attention fully back on the other girl.

“Did Chris do this to you?”

The brunette did not reply, and Elyza figured out that she was right.

“What’s going on, Alicia? Can you tell me what happened?”

Alicia took a deep breath and decided to tell her.

“When we were at the church, my mom was being attacked by an infected. She was on her back struggling to push him away. And then, I think… no, I’m sure I saw Chris just standing there and looking at her. He was going to let her die.”

“Holy shit,” Elyza exclaimed. “Did you tell your mom about this?”

Alicia shook her head and continued. “That’s why he came to talk to me. He asked me not to tell anyone what I saw. I said I would tell my mom, and then…”

“What?”

“I’m not sure what he meant. But he grabbed my arms and said he didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Alicia looked genuinely scared and Elyza felt like she needed to do something.

“Where’s your mom?” the blonde asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll find her and tell her what happened. And if I see Chris first, I’m gonna whoop his ass,” Elyza determined and got up, only to be pulled back down by Alicia.

“Just… stay here,” Alicia asked. “Please. I don’t wanna be alone.”

With the tone of her voice, Elyza realized she was needed here more.

“Okay. I’ll stay here,” she said after tugging her legs up. “But you gotta tell your mom or Travis.”

“I will,” Alicia promised.

“Cool,” Elyza said and looked around the room. “What do you wanna do now?”

“I’m sick of watching TV now, so how about you show me how your hometown and your parent look like.”

Elyza grabbed the phone from the table and smirked.

“All right. You’re about to know more about the mysterious Elyza Lex.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

**Alicia’s POV**

 

“Alicia,” Elyza’s voice came from far away, but then it was so close. “Wake up.”

Alicia did not know when or how she fell asleep. Elyza showed her the pictures on her Facebook account, and told her about Gold Coast and her parents. She learned that her parents kicked her out when they found out she was gay. Elyza, then, lived with her aunt, Michelle, for four years and worked hard until she finally decided to apply for an art school and move to San Francisco, where her brother lived.

Elyza also told her about her only ex-girlfriend, Selena, who dumped her after two months of dating because she decided she was straight. After that, Elyza only stuck to one-night stands, which explained the amount of her friend requests.

Then, Elyza saw that her mother, whom she had not spoken to for four years, commented on her video. The woman said she forgave her for everything and asked her to take care of herself.

The first part of the message upset Elyza, so Alicia assured with her that she did nothing wrong, but she convinced Elyza to make peace with her mother since they were on the verge of an apocalypse.

The blonde did so and replied only ‘You too, mom.’ and turned off the phone.

After that, Elyza got quiet. Alicia swore Elyza was so close to cry, but she did not. When she asked the older girl if she needed to be alone, she said she was okay and Alicia should sleep because it was late now.

And then, Elyza turned her face away, and Alicia remembered the last thing she did before drifting off to sleep was looking at Elyza from the end of the couch.

“Hey, Alicia, wake up,” Elyza called her again.

This time she shook her arm lightly, and Alicia realized that her head was on the other girl’s lap.

She opened her eyes to meet the blue ones from above. Elyza’s eyelashes were so long from this angle and Alicia could not look away. She noticed that Elyza did not blink as well.

 _Do friends do this?_ Alicia thought before she saw Elyza’s lips moving.

“Your mom is here,” the Aussie told her.

Alicia jerked her body up at the words too quickly that it gave her a whiplash, but she ignored it.

“Mom, where have you been?” Alicia asked after turning to face her mother, who was standing at the door.

Just like many times before, Madison did not answer her question.

“Elyza told me you have something to tell me. You can do it when we go back to our room.”

“I thought you would stay with Travis,” Alicia said.

“You’re staying with me tonight,” her mother said.

Alicia nodded and stood up to gather her things. Madison already left when Alicia turned to Elyza.

“Thanks for staying with me.”

The brunette squeezed her friend’s shoulder. She wanted to hug her, but she had been confused about boundaries with Elyza lately.

“No worries,” Elyza said and winked.

Alicia swallowed and managed to speak.

“Good night, Elyza.”

“Night, Alicia.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

The rest of the night was a mess. Madison went to tell Travis about Chris and came back to sleep next to Alicia.

It did not feel long when they were woken up with a sound of gunshot, but what scared them the most was the sight of Chris standing over them with a knife in his hand.

Alicia yelled at him and told him to get out. And it went without saying that nobody would be able to go back to bed tonight.

Alicia and her mother went to the gather with everyone else in the living room after Elyza came to tell them that it was Strand who used the gun to make sure his boyfriend would not turn to an infected after he passed away.

The brunette did not expect a sweet woman like Celia to be so angry. She kept saying that Thomas was her son and Strand took him away from her. She was mad enough to ask Strand to leave the estate within tomorrow evening, and Alicia wished she could do something to help him.

Morning came and Alicia knew today was going to be a difficult day. She spent the whole day with an uneasy feeling that she could not trust anyone except the people in her group. She also did not like the fact that some of them disappeared after Thomas’ funeral.

She knew Travis went to find Chris, and Nick went to find both of them, but her mother left without telling her anything. Ofelia told her Daniel also had been missing since last night, but Celia assured with them that he was safe.

When the three of them were alone, Elyza told Ofelia that she last saw Daniel went into the cellar in the right wing of the house and offered to sneak in to look for him tonight. Both Alicia and Ofelia wanted to go with her, but Elyza told them that it would be best if she did it alone.

Ofelia finally agreed with her, and they spent the rest of the day waiting. When night fell, Elyza left to her mission while Ofelia and Alicia went to say goodbye to Strand at the gate and also took this chance to be on the lookout for Elyza.

Alicia waved at Strand when the gate was closing at the same time the smell of smoke hit her nose.

She turned to the bright light on her left. And in seconds, the whole estate was on fire.

_Mom. Elyza. Daniel._

Alicia froze at the thought that people she cared about might be in danger. She was soon relieved when her mother and Elyza ran towards her and Ofelia.

“Where’s my father?” the Latina asked frantically.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t find him,” Elyza replied.

But Madison was more sure with her answer.

“He’s gone. It’s all gone. I’m sorry.”

They stood there and tried to figure out what to do when Strand drove a truck back through the gate.

“We need to go now,” the man told them.

“We have to wait for Nick, Travis and Chris,” Madison insisted.

“We're gonna be dead before they get here,” Strand pointed out.

They all knew Strand was right and did as he said. Alicia was in the middle of getting on the back of the truck when her brother came back.

“Nick, get in the truck!” the girl shouted.

She was sure Nick heard her, but he did not move any faster. And now she had to worry about her mother when she was walking to him.

“Mom! What are you doing?!”

Her mother always concerned about her brother more than her, and this was one of many times Alicia felt this way.

They were talking too calmly for this situation, and Alicia was annoyed that she could not hear them.

“We’ve gotta go!” Elyza helped her urging them, but it did not seem to work.

Madison only moved when Strand pulled her away and told her to let Nick go.

Her brother turned around without looking at her or anyone, and Alicia could only sit down.

It was not the first time Nick left them, but this time was different. She felt like she might never see him again, and it scared her more than anything that had happened since they left L.A.

But when the truck passed him, anger washed over her.

Alicia glared at him and he looked back at her. Her eyes never left him even when he looked away and turned into a silhouette.

_Goodbye, Nick._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for disappearing for a long time. My wrists hurt and I kinda have a job now. ^_^ Anyway, I had to finish this chapter before FtWD comes back, so we can catch up with the latest ep and see where my story should go next, to parallel with canon stuff. I just want to fit everything in this chapter without writing too long, so you can see there’s a lot of description part. Also, it would mean the world to me if you give kudos. And of course, comments are welcomed too. I’ll reply to all of them. :)
> 
> To anyone who reads my Brittana fic, I’ll write the next chapter after my final exam next week, so hold on tight. <333


	8. For What It's Worth

**Elyza’s POV**

It had been two days since they left the estate. There was no food, no extra clothes and no guns with them anymore. The only weapon they had was the butterfly knife Alicia took from one of Connor’s people a long time ago. The blonde was glad that Alicia was smart enough to not give it up to the estate folks.

There was nothing that belonged to Elyza except the clothes she was wearing, and the leather jacket that had been with Alicia for a while now. The brown-haired girl insisted on Elyza taking the jacket back, but she refused it.

As Madison asked, Strand drove around in circles in hoping to catch a glimpse of Nick or Travis at the gate in front of the vineyard, but there was no hope.

They were lucky enough to find a bottle of water in an abandoned car and shared among the five of them. Yet, Elyza’s stomach grumbled again and she was sure Alicia and Madison, who were sitting on the back of the truck with her, heard it.

“I think we should go back to Abigail,” Alicia said out of nowhere after they had been sitting in silence after the car started again.

Madison gave her a disagreeing look, but she did not say anything.

“Mom, Nick chose to go. He wouldn’t want us to find him,” Alicia tried again. “Travis might be at the boat.”

Elyza knew how stubborn Madison was, but this time the older woman knocked on the side of the truck and let Strand know they were going back to the boat.

Strand seemed to be very happy to hear what she said, and sped up the car to the direction of the beach. It was not surprising that the boat was gone.

“Damn it!” the man yelled with frustration. “They took her. The military took Abigail!”

“What now?” Alicia asked and looked around for someone to give her an answer.

“We walk into the sea,” Ofelia said, and Elyza was alarmed by the fact that she actually sounded serious.

“Don’t say that,” Elyza told her. “We need shelter… for now.”

“How about the hotel up the beach?” Alicia suggested and grabbed her mom’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Madison flinched away from her touch.

“If we go there, they’ll never find us,” the woman argued.

“Mom, it’s me and you now whether you like it or not,” Alicia said sharply, but Elyza could hear a hint of sadness in her voice.

Her mother still had not replied her, and Elyza wanted to tell her how right Alicia was. In the end, she decided it was not her place.

Alicia already walked away to pick up some branches, so Elyza followed her.

“I’ll help you,” Elyza mumbled behind the girl.

They were shaping up a message with branches to let Travis or Chris or Nick know where they were heading.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right,” Elyza broke the silence.

“At least one total person agreed with me,” Alicia replied grumpily and quickly added. “But thanks, by the way.”

Elyza shrugged to acknowledge her.

“Your mom just lost two of people she loves the most. She’s not thinking clearly right now,” Elyza said.

“They left her,” Alicia pointed out. “I’m here. I’ve always been right next to her my whole life.”

Elyza nodded understandingly. “You know I’m the last person who should be giving anyone mother-daughter relationship advice, but don’t let this get into your head, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Alicia said. She sighed and changed the subject. “So, do we make it short or grammatically correct?”

Elyza could not help but smiled when she heard her.

“I always thought you were a nerd, and you’re really a nerd.”

“Shut up,” Alicia said and threw a branch in her hand at her.

They ended up making the words ‘ABIGAIL LOST HEAD NORTH’ and went back to the road.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

**Alicia’s POV**

 

The Rosarito Hotel’s front doors were blocked by chairs and tables, but there were no people in sight. Alicia walked carefully to the bar along with her group after Strand cleared the path.

“Let’s look down here and in the kitchen,” Madison suggested.

“No, you look down here,” Alicia argued and wondered if she was trying to piss her mother off on purpose. “I’ll go check room by room upstairs with Ofelia and Elyza.”

“No, I want you with me,” her mother disagreed with her as expected.

“We’ll be back here before sunset,” Alicia tried her best to tell her calmly.

She was starting to walk away when her mother called out her name.

“Alicia!”

“I’ve been taking care of myself half my life. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Madison looked so hurtful by her words and Alicia suddenly regretted saying them. But Madison hurt her, too, sometimes, if not most of the time. Her mother always paid attention to her brother more than her, even right now when he was gone and she was the one who stuck with her.

Alicia continued to walk out of the room to prevent herself from changing her mind and deciding to be the perfect daughter again.

The hall on the second floor was as quiet as downstairs. Alicia already had her butterfly knife out, but she doubt if she would ever going to use it.

“Hotels creep me out,” Ofelia said and clutched a piece of wood in her hands tightly.

“Zombies walk the earth and it’s hotels that creep you out?” Elyza asked.

“I think it’s the carpets,” Ofelia joked, which made Alicia feel relieved because the woman had been depressed most of the time since they got here.

“Look what we have here,” Elyza drew their attention to the first door.

A sign ‘DO NOT DISTURB' was hanging from the door knob. The blonde did not waste her time to knock, and she was responded by a sound of infected snarling from the inside. A loud thud to the door came afterwards.

Alicia went ahead of her friends and found a door with a green sign ‘PLEASE MAKE UP ROOM NOW’ in front of it. It was the first door with this sign she had seen so far. She signaled Elyza and Ofelia to follow her.

“I think someone’s marked the rooms,” Alicia explained her understanding. “Wanna check it out?”

Elyza slowly twisted the door knob and led them inside. They explored the room quietly until Ofelia found a can of roasted peanuts.

“Guess whoever stayed here were allergic, and so am I,” the Latina said and threw the can to Elyza.

The blonde popped it open and shoved a handful of the food into her mouth. She turned to offer the rest to Alicia, who was busy stuffing all the clothes on the bed into a bag.

“Looks like someone is hosting a fashion week,” Elyza teased.

“These are for everyone. And here,” Alicia explained and rolled her eyes. She took Elyza’s leather jacket off and threw it to her. “Take it back, so you can stop pretending you’re not cold the whole time.”

“Fine,” Elyza mumbled and put her own jacket on.

Alicia caught herself staring when Elyza was adjusting her clothes only to be distracted by Ofelia’s gasp that came from the bathroom.

The girl was going to ask what was wrong when she saw him, an infected hanging himself from the shower.

“We have to get rid of him,” Elyza suggested. “We need rooms to crash tonight.”

“We can tie him and throw him off the balcony,” Alicia said.

“We can’t risk him biting us, Alicia,” Elyza protested.

Elyza was right and Alicia knew it. She had stabbed the infected in the head countless times before, but it never got easier to do it.

The blonde seemed to know what was going on in her mind when she said. “I’ll do it.”

“No, I’ll do it,” Ofelia said and took the knife from Alicia’s hand.

She jabbed the infected in his forehead hard and fast, and cut him down from the shower. The action caused Alicia to worry about Ofelia again, but she just helped her and Elyza taking the body to the balcony without any words.

When they were done, they spotted two more doors with green signs in the hall.

“I’ll check room 214. You two check the other,” Elyza suggested and walked to the room on the left right away.

Alicia was going to say they should all go together, but she thought this was a good time to talk to Ofelia.

“Ofelia, are you okay?” she asked her friend who just got out of the bathroom and was now sitting on the bed.

“Why do you think he did it?” the woman replied with another question. “He was tired of surviving?”

“You don’t get tired of surviving. You gotta push on.”

Ofelia shook her head and said. “We’re not gonna make it.”

“Why would you say that?” Alicia asked and walked over to her.

“My parents. They’re gone. It won’t be long until I…”

“Ofelia, listen. I lost someone I loved, too. I lost my father, my boyfriend,” Alicia said and added softly. “You have me, for what it’s worth, you know? We’re your family now.”

“Family is family,” Ofelia replied with tears rolling down from her eyes.

Alicia was trying to come up with what to say to comfort her, but Ofelia spoke first.

“Don’t worry about me, Alicia. I just… need to be alone right now if you don’t mind. The hot water is still running. You should go take a shower or something.”

Alicia nodded and left to the bathroom.

She took a shower and put on new clothes as fast as she could because they still had to check many other rooms in this hotel.

When she got out of the bathroom, Ofelia was not in the room anymore, so the girl walked to check the balcony. She startled when something big fell to the ground from above. She braced herself and stepped closer when the same thing happened again and again.

When she was outside, she realized that they were infected jumping off the balconies here and there. But what scared her the most was the sound of piano playing loudly from the bar below.

“Mom! Mom!” Alicia tried to warn her mother hopelessly.

She ran out of the room and went to where Elyza was supposed to be, but she was not there either.

“Ofelia! Elyza! Where the hell are you?!”

She went back and forth along the hall, but she could not find either of them. And then, the door knob of the room on her right started to twist.

She saw the sign ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ in front of the door and started to panick.

Fortunately, it was Elyza who stepped out of the room with an ice pick in her hand, but it did not make Alicia less stressful when she was covered in blood from head to toe.

“Are you hurt?!” Alicia asked and fumbled all over her friend’s body.

“I’m fine,” Elyza assured her. “We needed one more room for tonight, so I cleared it. I thought there were a few infected inside, judging from the sound. But man…, there were like ten, hence the blood.”

It was like Elyza was trying to give Alicia a heart attack, and she hated how calmly she sounded. She knew Elyza could take care of herself, but one of these days, her recklessness might hurt or kill her.

The Australian turned to change the sign from red to green, and turned to face the other girl again.

“Why the hell would you do something like that?!” Alicia yelled at her, but it was out of her worry. “You could have died!”

“I know. I know. My bad,” Elyza said and lifted her hands up.

“Have you seen Ofelia?” Alicia asked after taking a deep breath.

“No,” Elyza replied. “I thought she was with you.”

“Oh no,” Alicia exclaimed and started to ramble. “She disappeared from the room. And mom… and Strand… God, no… we have to…”

Elyza grabbed her arms to hold Alicia still, and her action calmed her down a little.

“Slow down,” the blonde said. “Ofelia’s missing. And what else?”

“Someone is playing the piano at the bar, and the infected are heading there. I have to save my mom.”

 _Especially when the last thing I said to her was that sentence._ Alicia thought.

Elyza came up with a plan quickly.

“Okay, I’ll go get your mom and Strand.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“It’s full of zombies down there. You don’t wanna risk it.”

“But you do?”

“I’m already covered in their blood, Alicia. Hopefully, your brother’s blood trick will really work.”

“Hopefully?” Alicia asked nervously.

“I’ll be back with your mom, okay?” Elyza did not answer her question. “Try to find Ofelia and meet me back at room 214.”

The blonde stroked Alicia’s cheek gently with blood and all, but Alicia did not mind. She already missed the touch when Elyza pulled her hand away and ran towards the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh man, it was so fun to write this chapter. So, I covered 2x09 but not 2x10 yet, because I need to know where Ofelia went first. xD And I might have spoiled you what’s gonna happen in the next chapter. It’s a sneaky hint, so I hope you catch it. :P
> 
> May we meet again. :)


	9. Pissing Contest

**Alicia’s POV**

_Damn it, Elyza!_ Alicia cursed internally.

She was distracted when Elyza caressed her cheek, and now the blonde was gone out of her sight.

Alicia walked through the hall with no plans and no weapons. The only thing on her mind was making sure everyone was safe.

She ran to get her knife from the room she was with Ofelia while calling out her friend’s name at the same time.

“Ofelia! Where are you?!”

There was no still respond. At this point, no matter where the Latina went, the girl was sure she was not on this floor anymore.

Alicia treaded to the emergency exit’s door that led to the stairs and pressed her ear against it. She could not hear anything from behind, so she pushed it and was stunned when she saw ten or more infected stumbled down the stairs.

She tried to close the door, but it was too late and they already marched forward to her.

She followed her instinct and ran to room 214 and locked herself inside. The only thing she could do now was waiting for Elyza to come back, hopefully with her mother and Strand, or even Ofelia. But she knew not everything could go perfectly as planned, and it was the reason she could not sit or lie down. She walked to the balcony and looked down. The ground was too far below despite her being on the second floor.

Alicia had been standing in front of the door for probably a few hours now. She looked outside through the peephole and counted the infected, her hand playing with the butterfly knife mindlessly.

There were ten of them so far. And when the infected with a red shirt walked pass the door for the third time, she decided that she had counted all of them.

_Only ten of them and they’re slow. I can do this._

She untied and tied her shoelaces again to make sure they were tight, and put her hair up in a ponytail.

She made sure no infected were in front of the door and stepped outside. Luckily, most of them were at the far end of the hall and did not notice her. She walked slowly to the other end in hoping to find another passage to go downstairs, but two silhouettes were slowly heading towards her with their snarl getting louder.

There was an entrance to the elevator on her right, so she could either go back to the room or pry the elevator doors open. Before she could decide, the infected behind her were already heading back her way.

She dug her fingers in between the doors and pulled them apart. It was harder to do it than she expected, but she was glad they moved. Unfortunately, the elevator was not in her sight, and there were only cables and wire ropes in front of her.

She was almost within the infected’s reach now, and she could only jump and hold onto the cables. A few infected lurched forward and fell into the shaft below, which demolished the hope for Alicia to go down.

 _Is this it? Is this the moment I’m dying?_ Alicia asked herself before an unfamiliar voice came from above.

“Climb, child. Climb!”

Alicia did so, difficultly. She could see the rest of the infected following their companions to the bottom of the shaft below.

She ignored them and climbed up until she finally saw the face of the voice’s owner. It was a middle-aged woman, presumably Mexican. An axe was in one of her hands and she was offering Alicia the other.

The girl felt like she was too far from the opened elevator doors on the fourth floor, but when the woman grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, the cables also moved forward and she landed on the floor safely.

“Where is he?!” the stranger asked demandingly despite sounding so kind earlier, her axe pressed against Alicia’s neck.

“Where is who?” Alicia asked back.

“Hector!” the woman said.

“I don’t know who that is, I swear!”

The woman looked at her for a long time as if to decide if she could trust her.

She finally let her go and said. “Follow me.”

Alicia felt like she had no other choice because the woman seemed to know her way around the hotel. She followed her into a dark room with cans of food all over the place. A pile of door signs was on the table, which revealed that the woman was the one who marked the infected rooms.

The girl learned that the woman’s name was Elena, who was the hotel manager, and Hector was her nephew who was taken by a group of guests who had some differences with Elena in the past. After that, Alicia explained to her that she needed to go downstairs to help her mother and friends.

“The dead are in the stairwells. We cannot go there,” Elena said sharply.

“But you can lure them out, right?”

“I can, with Hector,” the woman explained. “I can draw them into a room and lock them in.”

“We can,” Alicia offered. “I’ll help you.”

The hotel manager took time to consider and finally nodded.

Alicia wanted to proceed with the plan right away, but Elena insisted on her eating something first.

With full stomach, they went outside. The first part of the strategy was Elena opening the door to the stairwells, and Alicia luring the infected into a room. It was not hard until the second part.

Alicia got out to the balcony and slid the glass doors close. The infected could still see her and would not stop crashing into the doors. The barrier was starting to crack at the moment.

“Elena! Hurry up!” Alicia called out.

Just when the glass broke, the woman threw her a bed sheet to hold on to and helped her climb to the next balcony.

“What now?” Elena asked.

“You’re coming with me. You’re my guide.”

Alicia rushed to the direction of the bar as soon as they arrived on the first floor. The doors were blocked with chairs and pieces of wood, and the room was full of infected.

“Mom…,” Alicia started.

“She’s not in there,” Elena said. “If she was, she’s probably dead by now.”

“No, she’s not!” Alicia argued and started yelling. “Mom! Elyza!”

Elena was trying to pull her away, but Alicia was stronger. She was taking down the chairs from the doors until a man shouted from behind.

“Stop that!”

It was a group of people Alicia had never seen before. One of the men was locking a long-haired man around his neck.

“Hector,” Elena mumbled and stepped forward.

Alicia realized they were the people Elena told her about.

“Give me the keys and I’ll give you your nephew,” the man spoke to Elena.

“Don’t give him the keys,” Alicia said and turned to the man. “Where did you take my people?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man replied.

“Alicia, they’re not with them…,” Elena said. “I have to save my nephew.”

Alicia took a deep breath and nodded.

Elena threw the keys to the floor at the same time Alicia removed the last piece of wood, which was a hammer, from the bar’s doors. The infected surged out, but not before the man could take the keys while Alicia, Elena and Hector were hiding behind one of the doors.

She took her time to look for her mother, Elyza and Strand among the infected, but they were not there.

“I know where your friends are. I saw them heading that way,” Hector said and led his aunt and Alicia down to a tunnel nearby.

There were twenty or so infected down there, and Hector and Elena did not hesitate to eliminate them, so Alicia felt like it was the right thing to do to help them.

“Where are my mom and my friends?” Alicia asked when the coast was clear.

“This way,” Hector replied and led them to a white door.

The door was locked, so Alicia slammed on it with her fist.

“Open it! It’s me, Alicia.”

Within seconds, bright light shone out when the door moved, but it was soon blocked when Elyza stepped closer.

“Alicia? What…?”

The brown-haired girl did not let her finish and pulled her into a hug. She took in her scent despite it was overpowered with the smell of blood.

Elyza hugged her back for a few seconds before pulling away. Alicia was surprised that she looked pissed.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the blonde asked and turned to Elena and Hector. “Who the hell are you?”

Alicia let the hotel manager and her nephew introduce themselves, and looked for her mother and Strand. They were sitting on the floor and leaning on the wall at the end of the room. Her mother’s head was on his shoulder. There was blood all over their faces and the front of their bodies. The fact that they were sitting very still worried her.

“Mom?” Alicia said and rushed over. “Mom? Are you okay?”

Elyza came to stand next to her while Elena and Hector went to the next room.

The blonde replied instead of Madison. “They’re fine. They’re just drunk as fuck.”

“What? Tell me what happened.”

“Your mommy dearest and Strand the Man were surrounded by the infected when I got there. They were trying to fight their way out and they were good at it, all right? But then, I saw Maddie hit the air instead of the zombies’ heads twice, so I jumped in, stabbed a zombie, smudged the blood on your mom and Strand. They were too drunk to walk very far, so I dragged them out here to nap it off.”

“Thank you,” Alicia said, which was responded by a shrug from the other girl.

Alicia processed through what she had just heard again. She could not believe her mother would get drunk during a situation like this, but it happened and what mattered was that they were all safe, except Ofelia, who were missing.

“Have you seen Ofelia?” the brown-haired girl asked.

“I saw someone taking our truck,” Elyza said. “It could be her or someone else. Ofelia wouldn’t just leave us,… right?”

“It was her,” Alicia replied and sighed. “She didn’t think we were gonna make it.”

“We will. We are.”

Elyza sounded so confident with her words that it made Alicia feel angry again about her recklessness.

“How can you be so sure?” Alicia asked sarcastically. “What do you rely on? Luck?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You! You just go around doing crazy stupid things! I don’t know how you made it this far.”

Elyza looked pissed again.

“If you didn’t notice, I’ve just saved your mother,” the blonde argued. “And you’re one to talk. You should have stayed in the room!”

_After all this time, how could she think I would do that?_

“You disappeared for three freaking hours, Elyza!” Alicia replied relentlessly. “I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing!”

Before Elyza could respond, Strand cut them off.

“Children, can you keep the voice down, please? Or speak in a smoother, softer voice.”

Alicia gave the Aussie a glare to let her know their conversation was not finished, and stormed off to the next room.

There were supplies, such as water and canned goods in a storage that could only be opened by Elena’s passcode. The food was enough for only a week. Elena explained to everyone that most of the goods were in her room on the fourth floor, but the guests took the keys and now they had no access to them or a place to sleep.

Alicia told the new acquaintances that they had four unlocked rooms on the second floor, and Elena and Hector were welcome to have one or two. In the end, they decided to take only a room.

After Madison and Strand were sober enough, they left to the second floor right away. There were some infected in the lobby, but they were stealthy enough and made it pass them.

When they arrived on the second floor, Elyza left to room 214 and closed the door without any words. Alicia and Madison chose the next room, and Strand took the next. The last room that Elyza cleared earlier today was too bloody, so Elena and Hector opened another room that they knew there were only two infected inside, and got rid of them.

They settled down for an hour or two, until Alicia decided it was time to have the talk with Elyza again.

She knocked on her door and waited. It did not take long till the door swung open.

“What?” Elyza asked irately.

She was wrapped in a towel. Her hair was wet from showering, and it took every bone in Alicia’s body to form a word.

“I brought you some canned soup and new clothes,” the girl said and motioned to the objects in her hands.

“Thanks,” Elyza mumbled and took the cans and clothes from her.

The Australian girl did not close the door in her face, so it was a good sign.

“Can I come in?” Alicia took it of her own accord to ask.

“Yeah, sure,” Elyza replied and stepped back to let her in. She asked after she dropped the food and clothes down on a chair. “Is this the part where you tell me how much you’re right and I’m wrong?”

“No,” Alicia replied automatically and changed her mind. She spoke as calmly as she could. “Actually, yes. I know you can take care of yourself, but you need to be more careful.”

Elyza disagreed. “Look, Alicia. I have to do these things, all right? Some of us have to risk our lives to save the others. Like today, if I was careful, who knows what would happen to Maddie and Strand.”

“Or you can just ask for help,” Alicia argued and mimicked her question. “Like today, how long would you have to stay down there if Elena, Hector and I didn’t go get you?”

“Not very long,” Elyza replied stubbornly. “We woulda limped pass right through the infected and made it back to this room safely.”

With those sentences, the Australian girl was driving her mad again.

“Why are you like this?” Alicia said. “Regular people would just say ‘Thank you’.”

“Is that what you want?” Elyza asked and said sarcastically. “Then, thank you, Alicia. From my heart.”

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to piss me off, so we don’t have to talk about it and you can keep on doing stupid things.”

“I’m not. But fine,” Elyza muttered between her teeth. “I’ll be more careful, okay?"

The Aussie did not sound like she meant it at all, so Alicia pressed on.

“Can you at least try to sound more convincing?”

“Can you leave me alone?” Elyza asked back. “I’m tired and I need to dry my hair.”

The blonde turned away from Alicia and was making her way to the bathroom.

“Don’t… don’t pull this shit on me,” the brunette protested.

It was like something took over her when she went after Elyza and ended up pinning her against the wall next to the bathroom’s door.

They took one look in each other’s eyes and the next thing Alicia knew, they were kissing, hard. Her left hand moved to the side of Elyza’s face while her right slid down her bare shoulder and arm.

The blonde pulled her closer by the waist and dug her fingers on her side when Alicia bit her upper lip. Judging from the noise Elyza made, she seemed to like it.

 _What else do you like?_ Alicia thought and attacked the blonde’s neck.

She was shocked by her own action and confidence. She knew their second kiss was going to happen someday, but she never expected it to come with this much heat.

She found a spot that made Elyza squirm, and the husky moan brought her back from her own thought. The brunette sucked on the flesh gently at first, and harder the second time and the times after. A bruise or two would probably remain on Elyza’s neck tomorrow, but she could not care less, especially when she felt her lower stomach tensing when the blonde grabbed on her nape and kneaded on it.

Her lips travelled upwards again to the Aussie’s jaw and found their way back to her lips. This time, Elyza welcomed her with the warmth of her tongue. She pushed back and moaned the loudest in her life when their tongues met. At this point, Alicia knew she never wanted to stop kissing Elyza, and nothing in the universe could stop her… except a loud knock on the door.

“’Licia,” it was her mother. “Are you there?”

She pulled away to the sight of blushing Elyza with her chest heaving. She did not know Elyza could blush and she made a plan to tease her when she had a chance.

The Aussie was going to move away, but Alicia held her hand to ask her to stay put.

“I’ll be there in a minute, mom,” Alicia spoke to the door and turned to Elyza again.

“So,” the blonde started.

“So.”

“Do we pretend like it didn’t happen this time?” Elyza asked with a grin.

“Asshole,” Alicia said and poked her ribs. She continued softly. “It happened and it will happen again.”

The Aussie smiled again. It was not a smirk like the ones Alicia had seen before. This time, it was a simple smile with teeth, and Alicia quickly added it to one of her favorite things about Elyza Lex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for writing the things you already know at the start, but I didn't know how else to catch up with the story.
> 
> I hope you like it, hehehehehe. I came up with so many alternate versions of this kiss, like fluff, angst, or they even have sex, but I guessed this one made the most sense. ^_^
> 
> Anyway, I have to give a credit to princesslizzyx (ao3) who wrote “It happened and it will happen again.” in Chapter 6’s comments, and Dehba1 (FF.net) for suggesting angst was better than fluff. xD
> 
> Next chapter will be in Elyza’s POV. See ya. :)
> 
>  


	10. Off the Shore

**Elyza’s POV**

“It happened and it will happen again, ”Alicia’s voice was so soft and assuring.

Elyza found herself smiling in the way she had not done in a long time. Usually, when she smiled, it was to flirt or to tease someone, but hardly because of she was happy.

Alicia’s eyes flicked to her lips again, so Elyza cooperated with her action by leaning in.

Surprisingly, her lips landed on the corner of the brunette’s mouth when she turned away.

“We haven’t finished our talk,” Alicia said.

“Seriously?” Elyza whined.

“You distracted me with your…,” Alicia trailed off with her hands waving in the air and finished frustratingly. “You distracted me!”

The brunette stormed off to the couch and sat down. Elyza followed her and did the same.

She said. “I distracted you? You pushed me against the wall, _cutie_.”

She used pet names with her again without even meaning it. It came naturally, and she was glad she did because Alicia’s little ears were turning red.

The brunette looked down and looked back up again, her green eyes piercing into the blonde’s blue.

“I’m serious, Elyza,” Alicia said. “I really thought I lost you and mom today when I didn’t see you at the bar.”

“I’m sorry I made you worry,” the Aussie said.

“It’s not just that,” the younger girl continued. “When I was trying to go downstairs, the infected chased me to the elevator shaft. I had to jump and hold onto the cables. I was so sure I was going to die there if Elena didn’t save me. I was so afraid of dying, but then I realized I was afraid of losing mom and you more, and Strand too, and that it was only because I couldn’t get to you.”

Tears started to form in Alicia’s eyes, and it broke Elyza’s heart.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” the blonde said and pulled Alicia into a hug. “I didn’t know.”

Alicia wrapped her arms around Elyza’s torso.

She said after pulling away. “Promise me you’ll be more careful and we’ll protect each other… together.”

“I swear it,” Elyza promised.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elyza woke up late today and it would have been later if someone had not knocked on her door. She looked out through the peephole and found that it was only Alicia, so she opened the door.

“G’day, babe,” Elyza greeted.

The younger girl’s eyes widened and Elyza did not know why until Alicia got inside the room and closed the door.

“What?” the blonde asked. “Do I have drool on my face or…?”

Alicia grabbed her by the arm and led her to the mirror at the table. A hickey displayed vividly.

“Nice job, Alicia.”

The brunette punched her arm, which made Elyza laugh loudly.

“Why are you laughing?” Alicia said grumpily.

“You played yourself, babe,” Elyza teased. “Do you suck everyone’s neck when you’re mad at them?”

“This is serious. If my mom sees it…”

The other girl huffed. She went to Elyza’s pile of clothes and searched through it.

“Do you have anything like a scarf?” Alicia asked.

“This is summer. People are gonna ask more questions if I show up with a scarf,” Elyza pointed out.

“Wait here. I’ll be back, okay?” Alicia said and walked out of the room.

She was absent for too long that Elyza almost decided to follow her out, but not before Alicia came back with a red bandana in her hand. She quickly folded it and tied it around Elyza’s neck.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” the Aussie asked.

“Mom and Victor are trying to convince Oscar and Elena to make peace with each other,” Alicia replied while adjusting the red piece of cloth.

“Who’s Oscar?”

“He and his people were guests here for his wedding, but Elena and Hector locked them in the ballroom when a guest turned into an infected.”

“That’s… hardcore. Do you think they’ll make up?”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure mom and Victor can handle it.”

“Let me get out of my PJ’s and let’s find out.”

Elyza was going to move away, but Alicia grabbed her arms.

“Listen. When I said we couldn’t let my mom find out about us, it’s not that I want to keep you a secret. She just… has a lot on her mind right now,” Alicia explained.

“I understand,” Elyza assured her. “Just take your time.”

Alicia smiled and kissed her softly, and Elyza felt like she would never get tired of these full lips.

“Now get dressed, gorgeous,” Alicia told her after pulling away.

The Australian girl expected the other girl to turn away when she changed her clothes just like the previous times on the boat, but today Alicia took pride in ogling her and Elyza loved every second of it.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As expected, Madison and Strand succeeded in convincing Oscar and Elena to join force. Everyone was in Elena’s room on the fourth floor and introducing themselves.

They all tried to be civil to each other, except a tall blonde woman who stood in the corner of the room and looked like she did not want to be here.

“So what are you suggesting?” Oscar asked.

“We’re making this hotel our home,” Madison replied. “We clear every room, every hall.”

“This will never be my home as long as the murderer is still here,” the tall woman said sharply and pointed at Elena.

“Ilene, this is our only way to survive. We have to stick together,” Oscar told her. “Elena is not the problem. The infected are.”

“Do whatever you want, Oscar,” Ilene replied and walked out of the room.

The room was quiet until Strand broke the silence.

“So does this mean the deal is off or…?”

“No, I’ll talk to her,” Oscar confirmed with him.

“There are sixteen floors if you don’t count the lobby. We’ll divide two people per two floors,” Hector said. “What do you say?”

“Agreed,” Madison said.

“I’m going with Elyza,” Alicia spoke up.

“No, you’re going with me,” Madison refused.

“Mom, you can stay here. We already have enough people doing this,” Alicia said.

“We need you here to talk about our next moves,” Oscar told Madison.

“All right,” Madison sighed. She turned to Alicia and Elyza. “I need you two with at least one adult.”

“Hey, I’m twenty,” Elyza protested.

Madison gave her a glare to make it clear that her words were final, so Elyza had no choice.

Elena gave out the keys and people left the room one by one until there were only Madison, Strand, Oscar, Elena, Hector, Alicia and Elyza left.

“Alicia, you go with Hector,” Elena directed and turned to Elyza. “And you, come with me.”

The four of them went together in the stairwell and parted when Alicia and Hector reached the third floor.

“Be careful,” Elyza said and squeezed Alicia’s shoulder.

“You too,” Alicia replied. “See you.”

Elyza felt herself starting to get worried, but she knew Alicia could take care of herself, and she had to trust Hector to take care of her.

She stepped on the stairs tread by tread mindlessly until Elena spoke up when they reached the fifth floor.

“You’re quiet.”

“Huh?”

“You haven’t said anything since we left the room,” Elena said.

“I’m an introvert,” Elyza joked.

“Nice bandana you got there,” Elena instantly changed the subject.

“Thanks,” the blonde said and asked. “Is red in this season?”

Elena clutched the axe in her hand and motioned to it. “Definitely in.”

Their work was harder than Elyza expected. There were more than a few infected in most of the rooms, but with the ice pick that had become her weapon, it was not difficult to penetrate their skulls.

“Hey,” Elyza said after clearing the third room on the floor. “Alicia told me what happened. Thanks for saving her.”

Elena nodded. “Glad I did. She’s a good kid.”

They continued to work in silence and were almost done with the fifth floor when Hector showed up at the end of the hall.

“Alicia,” Elyza said the first thing on her mind. “Where is Alicia?”

“She’s fine. She’s fine,” Hector replied. “We’re done with our task.”

“Oh, right,” Elyza recalled that the second floor was almost clear of the infected.

The man continued. “We took the bodies to the beach, and Alicia found a way to get rid of the infected without this much work.”

Elyza shove the last infected inside the nearby room and closed the door. She wiped off the sweat on her forehead and followed Hector downstairs.

When they arrived at the beach, Alicia was hugging her mother. It seemed like they just had some emotional talk, and Elyza did not want to intrude, but Alicia saw her anyway and made her way towards her.

“You guys made up?” Elyza asked.

“Yep. Everything is right in the world again.”

Alicia looked so happy, so it made Elyza feel the same.

“Happy for ya,” the Aussie said and asked. “So what’s your plan, genius?”

Alicia smiled and replied. “There are riptides in the sea, so we lure the infected onto the pier…”

“…and make them jump,” the Aussie finished the sentence for her.

“Yeah.”

“You’re so smart,” Elyza complimented her. “You’re a genius.”

“Stop,” Alicia said and blushed.

Before they could say anything else, the others join them and Alicia described her plan to them. Elyza’s eyes were on her the whole time and she could not be more proud of her.

The plan was to lure all the infected from different locations to the dining room that was connected to the pier. One of them would have to lure the infected all the way to the end of the pier and jumped, while a raft would be waiting for them.

When nobody volunteered, Elyza offered with no hesitation.

“I’ll do it.”

Most of people agreed while Alicia was giving her a questioning look. They did not say anything until they reached the dining room. Elena started to divide people to designated locations.

“Stop giving me that look,” the blonde told the other girl.

“You promised,” Alicia said.

“That I’ll be careful. And I will,” Elyza replied and added. “Listen. You know I’m a good swimmer, so this is the most reasonable thing to do, right?”

The brunette took a deep breath and finally complied with her.

“I hate that you’re right.”

Alicia was staring at her and she could not tell if she was mad or concerned. Maybe it was both.

“Alicia, come on,” Madison called out from the door on the left.

“Go. Your _girlfriend_ will be fine. Hector will get her on the raft,” Elena told the younger girl when Elyza almost forgot that the Latina was nearby.

The word ‘girlfriend’ did not go unnoticed, and neither Elyza nor Alicia objected to the statement.

“I wanna be on that raft,” Alicia replied to Elena while still looking at the blonde.

“You don’t have to do that,” Elyza told her.

“I’ll be on it,” the brown-haired girl said firmly and left to catch up with her mother.

Elyza’s eyes followed her until Elena’s voice brought her back.

“So feisty this one.”

“She is,” the blonde replied and asked. “How did you know we’re together?”

“I’m not dumb, _Australiana_ ” The Latina said and scoffed. “And that’s my scarf you’re wearing.”

“Makes sense,” Elyza replied.

“Stay here and be ready,” Elena said and left to Hector, who was waiting for her at the door on the right.

When everyone else was gone and the room was empty, Elyza suddenly realized that it was the first time in a long time she was alone. She twirled the spoon and the fork in her hands and looked around.

The surrounding was quiet enough for her to hear the sound of waves hitting the shore outside. The sun rises higher and higher as time passed by, and it almost made her miss home.

She almost believed everything was peaceful, no infected, no blood, no nightmares until Strand and Oscar was leading a big group of infected from behind.

Hector and Elena showed up a few seconds later, and there were only Alicia and Madison who were yet nowhere to be found.

Two groups of infected almost reached Elyza and she could not focus until she was sure Alicia was safe.

“Go. I’ll check on them,” Elena told her.

Before Elyza could protest, a sound of music came from her right, signaling the presence of Alicia and her mother. She let out a sigh of relief when she could see her walking into the room with Madison.

“Of course, you would play hipster songs from your phone,” Elyza teased as soon as the brunette came to stand next to her. “You’re so extra, you know that?”

“Eyes on the infected, Elyza,” Alicia muttered.

The blonde did so.

The seven of them were walking backwards on the pier. Some of them were shouting, some of them knocking pots together with the sea of infected following them slowly. It was one of the most bizarre moments in Elyza’s life.

Strand, Oscar, Elena, Hector and Madison left to the gate on the side when they were halfway on the pier, except Alicia who was still lingering around.

“Go. I’ll be fine.” Elyza told her.

“Don’t trip,” Alicia said while making her way to the gate and closed it. “Don’t trip even once, or I swear I’m gonna come back up here and kick your ass.”

The Aussie gave her a wink and turned her focus back on the infected. She determined to be careful with every step she was taking, for herself and for Alicia, especially for Alicia.

“Come on, zombies!” Elyza called out and clashed the utensils in her hands together.

She walked backwards steps after steps. She felt like she had walked for a mile when she reached the end of the pier.

The sound of the motor of the raft reverberated as a sign that Hector and Alicia were ready to pick her up. The blonde took one last look at the infected and inhaled deeply.

She ran towards her only exit and jumped.

She had never jumped from this much height, but she sure had been to this much depth in the sea. All she needed to do was going up and up, and finding her way back to the surface, in this case, to Alicia.

Things instantly changed when she could hear constant whoosh sounds behind her when the infected were falling into the sea. She swam upwards faster and faster, and the cold hit her swiftly when she resurfaced.

“Help me get her up!” Alicia’s voice sounded strange when Elyza’s ears were adjusting to the new atmosphere, or it was probably because Alicia was nervous.

She could feel Hector’s strong arms going under her arms and pulling her up. He let her go as soon as she was on the raft, and another pair of arms, a more delicate one, wrapped around Elyza from behind.

“You did great,” Alicia spoke with her lips pressing on Elyza’s right ear.

The cold was gone instantaneously and turned into heat waves spreading out all over her body.

Elyza tilted her head to the side and kissed the other girl impulsively. Everyone on the shore could not see them from this distance anyway, but Hector surely did.

But it did not matter when Alicia kissed her back. It was just lips pressing against lips as a promise that they would be there for each other at this moment and every moment to come.

It did not take long until Hector cleared his throat and said. “Sorry, but… you need to hold onto the side of the raft when I take us back.”

Elyza just chuckled and did as he asked, but her back was still leaning against Alicia, and one of the brunette’s arms was still around her waist.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” the younger girl whispered in Elyza’s ears against the sound of the wind.

“That’s my line, cupcake,” the Aussie replied despite her heart trying to jump out of her chest. “But yes.”

Alicia hummed satisfyingly at the same time Elyza put her hand on top of the other girl’s hand and intertwined their fingers.

The raft was getting closer and closer to the shore, and despite being damp and cold, Elyza wished this ride lasted forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oops. I accidentally made Hector the “Indra” of this fic. And if you notice, my Elyza is kinda softie/bottom. I just really really like the idea of soft Elyza/warm Elyza, okay?
> 
> Anyway 1, wearing bandana/little scarf is so gay. I 100% recommend. Look at my wife, Danielle Haim, for example!
> 
> Anyway 2, I’m going to Talking Dead in LA tomorrow. I’m so excited to see Alycia and Mercedes ASDHALDHASLDHASDHLA. That’s why I finished this chapter today because I felt like giving back to the fandom. Thanks for your continuous support. :)


	11. Wounds and Stitches

**Elyza’s POV**

 

It had been three full days that Elyza had not seen any infected and they were the first three days that the world seemed normal since the outbreak spread. They were living as if they were the hotel’s guests, except that they did not pay for the rooms and there were no services from the staff.

Most of Oscar’s people were already enjoying this new environment. They fished, played football and drank while Elyza was still having a hard time adjusting to it. It was too good to be true that she could finally breathe and did not need to worry that people she cared for would get hurt or bitten. More importantly, she had a girlfriend now.

She and Alicia volunteered to clean up the bar today. The floor was full of shattered pieces of glass that Madison and Strand broke.

“You know what’s funny?” Alicia started while she was cleaning the counter and Elyza was sweeping the floor.

“What?” the blonde asked.

“My mom told me that she and Victor threw a bunch of glasses into the wall when they were drinking here.”

“You know what’s not funny?” Elyza replied grumpily. “We have to clean up their messes.”

She thought she got all of the pieces of glass, but she kept finding one after another.

“I’m taking a break,” the Australian girl said and looked in a cabinet.

She found a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and was going to take a sip when Alicia interrupted her.

“Hey now. Aren’t you still underage?” the brunette asked jokingly.

“Said the seventeen-year-old America’s Sweetheart,” Elyza countered back. “Besides, you can drink legally since you turn eighteen both in Australia and Mexico.”

“Right,” Alicia sighed. “Sometimes I forget we’re not in the US anymore.”

“In that case, it wouldn’t matter anyway because I’ll be twenty-one in… who knows? Who’s keeping track of time these day?”

“In three months,” Alicia replied. “It’s August now.”

They learned each other’s birthday a long time ago along with many other things, but Elyza did not expect her girlfriend to mind the days in an apocalypse. If this was August, it could only mean one thing.

“You already turned eighteen, didn’t you?” Elyza mumbled. “When?”

She felt guilty that she did not do anything for Alicia, especially now, when she was intending to be a good girlfriend to her.

“A few weeks ago,” the younger girl replied. “It’s no big deal. Like you said, who cares about birthdays now?”

“I do,” the blonde replied instantly and added. “Sit tight. I’ll make you a drink to celebrate.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Alicia giggled, but she stopped cleaning and hopped on a stool in front of the counter.

“How about Pink Lemonade Vodka?”

“Sounds good, but I don’t wanna get drunk this early.”

“No worries.”

With the bartending skills Elyza learned back in the days, it took less than minute for her to mix the drink and set it in front of the other girl.

“No alcohol as requested,” Elyza announced.

“Thanks,” Alicia said and sipped on it. “It’s great.”

“It would be better if we had ice.”

“Elena is working on it,” the brunette told her. “We should have electricity soon.”

“That’s awesome.”

Alicia suddenly fumbled on her own pocket and brought a key out.

“I forgot to give you this,” the younger girl explained. “Elena gave everyone the key to their room. This is yours.”

Elyza did not take it. Instead, she rested her chin on a hand and stared deeply into Alicia’s pretty green eyes.

“Keep it,” she said. “You should have the key to my room just like you have the key to my heart.”

The brunette burst out laughing despite blushing profusely at the same time.

“That was… really, really bad, Elyza,” Alicia talked between her chuckling.

“I don’t care,” Elyza said while remaining in the same posture. “I just wanna make you laugh, silly.”

Alicia’s laughter stopped abruptly when she returned Elyza’s gaze.

She smiled and said. “I wish I could kiss you right now.”

“Your mom isn’t here,” the Aussie pointed out.

“People in the lobby can see us. They’ll talk.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind,” Elyza said. “Elena and Hector didn’t mind.”

“Stop trying to get me to kiss you, El,” Alicia whined.

“I’m not doing anything,” the blonde claimed. “I’m just standing and not moving.”

“Yeah, with your face three inches away from mine and looking so adorable.”

Elyza had never been called ‘adorable’ in her life, so the word sent a shiver down her spine.

She swallowed and replied. “Nobody’s stopping you from moving away, babe.”

Alicia chuckled again. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was looking and gave Elyza a peck.

The Aussie already missed those lips before her girlfriend even pulled away.

Alicia already jumped off the stool to continue with her work when Elyza was licking her own lips to feel the faint lingering taste of lemonade.

As much as she wished their kiss would last longer, she completely understood Alicia. The girl would do anything for her mother’s best interest and Elyza respected that. She might tease her sometimes, but at the end of the day, she let Alicia take full control of their relationship.

The blonde realized that she must have got lost in her thoughts because the other girl was already on the same side of the counter.

She thought Alicia was going to clean the shelves. But to her surprise, the younger girl pulled her down to the floor and attacked her lips with her own.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a heavy make out session with Alicia behind the counter yesterday, Elyza felt like today was also going to be a good day, and their happy infected-free zone might not be an illusion.

She brushed her teeth and changed her clothes. The weather was quite hot outside, so she only put on a t-shirt and jeans.

She walked to their headquarter which was Elena’s room just like she had been doing for three days straight. Madison, Elena, Strand and Oscar were in the room as they should be. The only difference today was that Alicia was not here.

“Where’s Alicia?” Elyza asked right away.

“Well, good morning to you too, Miss Lex” Victor Strand replied sarcastically from the couch he was lying on.

“She’s learning how to surf at the beach with Hector,” Madison gave her the answer and asked. “Why? Do you need her for anything?”

Elyza felt herself getting jealous for some reason, but she knew Alicia never thought of Hector as more than an acquaintance, and the man already knew she was with Elyza.

“Nope,” the younger blonde said quickly. “It’s just that she’s usually here.”

“Have some coffee when the water is still hot, Elyza,” Elena said and motioned to the coffee maker at the corner of the room.

“So we have electricity now? Nice,” the Aussie said and added. “So what do you need me to do today?”

“Nothing,” Madison said.

“For real?” Elyza turned around to ask while making a cup of coffee.

“For real,” Madison confirmed. “Everything is going how it should be now. We deserve a day off.”

Oscar added. “And we agreed to turn on the generator only on every Thursday morning.”

Strand said and got up. “And since it’s a Thursday morning now, I’m gonna take an advantage and have some whiskey on the rocks at the bar.”

“Well, I’m outta here, too,” Elyza announced and followed the man.

She barely had time to register what happened when she saw Ilene standing over Strand at the door. She stared hatefully at him in silence while the man was stiff in his place.

It was not until Strand fell down that Elyza realized what was going on. A knife dipped with red was in Ilene’s hand when she was going to attack him again.

The Australian girl rushed over by instinct. She tried to push the taller woman away, but not before her knife swiped on her right forearm. It hurt like hell, but she ignored the pain and splashed the coffee in Ilene’s face to give herself a window to push her away and close the door.

“Help,” Elyza called out to the rest of people in the room.

Oscar came over and tried to help her up as soon as he saw the blood on her arm.

“No. Him first,” the blonde told him to help Strand. “He was st-… stabbed.”

The Latino and Elena helped Strand to lie down on the bed, while Madison took care of Elyza’s wound.

“Shit,” the older blonde said when she saw the two-inch gash.

“What? It’s not that bad, right?” Elyza asked.

“I’m not sure,” Madison said and wrapped a spare shirt on her arm. “Keep the pressure on it.”

“Got it,” the Aussie assured her and pressed her left hand on the wound. “Is Strand gonna be okay?”

“I… I don’t know,” Madison replied honestly.

They both looked at the man on the bed. He was still talking and smiling, which made Elyza relieved.

“I have to find Alicia,” Madison spoke again.

“Wait,” Elyza called out. “Ilene is still out there. It’s not safe.”

The woman seemed to be stunned by her words. They might not have talked much, but after spending so much time together in the same places, Madison, Strand, and even Ofelia, became like a family.

“I’ll make sure Ilene won’t hurt anyone again,” Oscar said and walked out right away.

“I’ll go get Alicia,” Madison told Elyza again.

“Maybe… I should go with you,” the blonde offered.

“No. You should sit down and make sure the bleeding is stopped.”

Elyza hated to admit that Madison was right, but the cloth on her arm was getting soaked, so she sat down at the table obediently.

After Madison was gone, Elyza could only sit and observe Strand’s condition. Elena kept talking to him to keep him awake while Elyza made some jokes to make him smile. She also learned that last night, Strand killed Jessica, Ilene’s daughter, who was already an infected. It was why the woman wanted to hurt him.

The door was opened again when Oscar and his brother, Andrés, walked in. The man told everyone that his brother went to a medical school and he would take care of Strand and Elyza. He also said that Ilene would stay locked up all the time.

Andrés requested for numerous medical kit and medicines for Strand, but there was only suture kit from Elena’s first aid cabinet that was useful. The Latina offered to drive somewhere to get the medicines Strand needed and left.

The young man told Strand to keep the pressure on his wound and walked over to Elyza. The blood already stopped when he gently opened the cloth that was covering her forearm.

“Do I need any stitches?” the blonde asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Andrés said. “But it may scar.”

“Whatever,” Elyza sighed and added. “I mean, thank you, Andrés.”

The man nodded and said. “I’ll clean your wound and put a bandage on it.”

When he was done and left to Strand’s side, a sound of car engines came from downstairs.

Elyza got up and walked to the balcony. She saw Madison getting in a truck with Elena. There was nobody on the beach and Elyza started to get worried about Alicia.

“Are you looking for me?” Alicia’s voice came from behind.

The brunette was in a t-shirt and skirt combo today. It was the first time Elyza saw her in a skirt. Her eyes travelled down to the smooth skin on her legs and back up to Alicia’s face.

“Are you okay?” the younger girl asked and took a look at the bandaged wound.

“I am now,” Elyza replied and asked a little too irately. “How was your surfing lesson?”

“It was good. What’s with that tone?”

“I can surf too, you know?”

“You can’t teach me now, can you?” Alicia asked teasingly and traced on her wound gently. She continued. “Wait. Are you jealous?”

“Of Hector? Pfft,” the blonde replied and finally admitted. “Maybe a little.”

“Elyza, please,” Alicia found it amusing. “He’s twice my age. And he knows we’re together.”

“I know. I can’t help myself, all right?” the Aussie pouted.

“You’re such a dork,” the brunette said and moved her hand to grab Elyza’s. “Come on. Let’s go look after Victor.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alicia told her that Madison said they would take two hours to get the medicines, but it had been five hours now. Andrés already stitched up Strand’s wound, and all they could do now was keeping him warm and making sure he was still breathing.

Strand’s condition was getting worse, and their worry doubled when day became night.

A sound of car’s engines could be heard from outside, and Alicia sprinted out of the room right away.

“Hey, Strand. Hold on, okay?” Elyza told him. “Help’s on the way.”

“I think… you can call me Victor,” the injured man said feebly.

“Victor,” Elyza did as he asked. “You survived pirates, militaries and a heartbreak. This one is a piece of cake, okay?”

Strand chuckled and mumbled. “I’m a victor.”

Elyza smiled at him. And before they could say anything, the whole room was lighted up.

Andrés, who just walked in, was as confused as they were. But he rushed over to Strand and checked on him.

_“You risked it!”_

The voice came from below and it was Alicia’s voice, so Elyza walked to the balcony right away.

It seemed like Madison turned on the generator and Alicia was asking her to turn it off. She could not hear what they said except some sentences.

“How can you know that?!” Alicia asked her mother furiously. “He may or may not be Nick.”

She could not hear what came afterwards, but it ended up with Alicia storming inside the hotel, and Madison finally turned the generator off.

The brown-haired girl arrived at Elena’s room in no time and asked Andrés.

“Is Victor gonna be okay?

“He’s stable now,” the ex-medical student assured with her. “He’ll be okay.”

“Elyza,” Alicia started and walked over to the blonde. “Can I stay in your room tonight?”

“Of course,” the blonde replied softly.

They walked back to room 214 together when Madison showed up at the end of the hallway.

Alicia gave her mother a glare and got inside. Madison was still looking at Elyza and the Aussie did not know what to do or say. Finally, the woman gave her a nod.

Her girlfriend already settled on the couch when Elyza closed the door. Her face was in both of her hands.

“Hey, baby, look at me,” Elyza said and sat next to her.

The brunette let her hands fall from her face. She was on the verge of tears.

“She was gonna go look for Nick. She was gonna let Victor die,” Alicia told her. “She’ll never stop looking for him.”

“She loves him. She loves both of you,” Elyza came up with the most sensible reason in hoping to fix the wound in Alicia’s heart. “She just wants to keep your family together, especially now.”

“I know. But she never sees me.”

“That’s impossible,” the blonde said and tapped lightly under her girlfriend’s chin. “How can anyone not see you? You’re so strong and smart. You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met.”

Alicia gave her a tiny smile. “I wish she thought I was that awesome.”

“I’m sure she does,” Elyza said firmly. “That’s why she knows you can take care of yourself.”

“Sometimes I just wanna cause troubles to get her attention too, you know?”

“You as a troublemaker? I can’t imagine.”

“Is that a challenge?” Alicia said. “I can trash your room right now.”

But she did not do it. Elyza just put her good arm around Alicia’s shoulder and pulled her closer. They fell in silence until the younger girl started yawning.

“I’m taking the couch,” Alicia said.

“No way. My bed is big enough for both of us,” Elyza protested and quickly added. “It’s not that I’m trying to get you into my bed. I mean, we’ll just sleep and…”

Alicia cut her off with a soft kiss. “I know. I would love to cuddle with you. I just don’t want to roll on your arm and hurt you by accident. You know how much I move around in my sleep.”

“I remember. You moved to sleep on my lap at Thomas’ house,” the Aussie recalled.

“That was embarrassing.”

“That was cute,” Elyza argued. “But I can take the couch and you take the bed.”

“Nope.”

“Are you sure you’re not gonna fall off it?”

“I’m not moving from this couch,” Alicia stated.

“All right, then,” the blonde yielded. “Do you need anything? New clothes? A shower? Anything?”

“Just give me… a… pil-low,” Alicia mumbled between her yawns.

When Elyza came back to the couch, Alicia already fell asleep. She set the pillow under her head and kissed her forehead.

The Aussie changed into a new shirt and shorts in the dark. She climbed into the bed that felt too empty tonight.

Her eyes were closed and her mind was in the slumber when she heard three words from across the room.

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don’t what to say. I’m so sleepy, lol. Please kudos/favs and comments. It will mean a lot to me. :)
> 
> Okay, I remember what to say now.
> 
> 1\. Elyza’s nickname is El because Stranger Things is awesome.  
> 2\. And this chapter is in Elyza’s POV again because I don’t wanna bore you with things you already saw on TV.  
> 3\. Sorry for not writing the details of their make out scene, but I leave it to your imagination. But OMG, can’t wait for you to read the next chapter because *wiggles eyebrows*.


	12. Guilt

**Alicia’s POV**

 

_Was it a dream?_

Alicia woke up with numbness in her head. The time on her phone displayed 6:25 AM. It was still too early. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly in hoping to get back to sleep, but it did not work when she was positive she told Elyza she loved her last night.

She remembered wanting to say a simple ‘goodnight’, but other words with a bigger meaning came out instead.

There was no doubt that she loved Elyza, she knew what being in love felt like. Strangely, to say it out loud brought so many questions, such as if it was too soon or if Elyza would freak out since she was not big on commitment before. And there was always the guilt about Matt that she had been trying to stop beating herself over.

Alicia sighed and decided to get up. She could see that her girlfriend was still deep in her slumber. She walked over to the bed, and could not help but inspect the Aussie’s features.

Elyza looked so young and innocent this way. It made the brunette wonder what it would be like if they never had to go through the outbreak. They probably would never have met. And even though they had a rough start, Alicia decided that, with Elyza, she was content with this dangerous world.

The American girl retrieved the blanket from the end of the bed and covered it over the sleeping figure, but it was kicked off right away. Elyza murmured something and fell right back to sleep.

The sight brought a smile to Alicia’s lips, and all she wanted to do was to kiss her wake up. But she could not to do that. They needed all the rest they could get. And since Alicia could not have that today, at least one of them should have it.

She tidied the room, washed her face and went up to the headquarter. The plan was to get a new bandage and some medicines for Elyza, and hopefully, not run into her mother.

She was still upset about Madison’s action last night, and for once, she was trying not to forgive her so easily this time.

Fortunately, only Elena, Hector and Oscar were in the room. Alicia greeted them, got what she wanted and left right away.

When she came back, Elyza was lying on her side and adoringly chewing the inside of her cheek. The brown-haired girl settled the things she brought on the nightstand and carefully got on the bed.

 _This is kinda creepy, but oh well…_ Alicia thought and lied next to the blonde.

The girl just wanted to be close to her, and her heart was already pounding in her chest. She started counting Elyza’s eyelashes and wondered if she heard what she said last night. If not, Alicia was afraid to say it again. If so, the Australian girl did not say anything last night, and Alicia was afraid to see her reaction when she woke up.

Her eyes travelled to the faint hickey on Elyza’s neck, which made her recall the night she created it and the other times they kissed. The thought made her lower stomach tingle, and her eyes betrayed her by moving downwards.

She almost choked when she realized that Elyza was not wearing a bra. She tried to look away, but next things she saw were the flesh that appeared between the blonde’s shirt and shorts, and her bare slender legs.

Alicia could feel wetness forming between her legs. She swallowed and stared at Elyza’s breasts again.

It could have been a minute or five, but when her green orbs found Elyza’s face again, the blonde was already awake and smirking at her.

“Good morning, perv,” Elyza teased.

“Since when did you wake up?” Alicia asked frantically.

“Since you were looking at my boobs.”

“They… look nice,” the brunette flirted awkwardly.

“They _are_ nice,” the Aussie replied confidently. “You wanna…”

Elyza did not have to finish the sentence, and Alicia already knew what she was asking. She scooted closer. Her trembling hand reached out, but not to her girlfriend’s heaving bosoms. Instead, she reached to the side of her face. Their lips met and the kiss was deepened within seconds.

Elyza wrapped her arm around Alicia’s waist, and it was when the blonde’s yelp interrupted them.

 _Shit! I totally forgot about her arm._ Alicia thought. _Bad girlfriend. Bad._

“You’re okay?” the younger girl asked and sat up.

Elyza nodded. “ That was just one-second pain-strike,” she added. “This itchy wound is a freakin’ annoying.”

“Let me clean it for you,” Alicia said and turned to get the medical kit from the nightstand.

“I’d rather we continue doing the other thing,” Elyza pouted.

“We can do both,” Alicia gave her a small smirk. “And I’m a type of person that saves the best thing for the last.”

Elyza gave her a sweet smile and winked at the brunette, which made it harder to concentrate on her task right now.

The Aussie’s wound was completely dry now, yet it still looked fresh. Both of their faces wrinkled up when Alicia cleaned it. But their emotion soon changed to something else when the brown-haired girl finally finished wrapping the blonde’s arm.

Their lips met halfway and they kissed as if they had not seen each other for months. Alicia moved to straddle on her girlfriend’s lap, and Elyza’s lips found the length of her neck right away.

The younger girl’s hand fumbled under the blonde’s shirt and grabbed her breast for the first time. It was so soft, even softer than Alicia had imagined, and she found herself getting wetter. She felt Elyza’s nipple harden against her palm, so she pinched on it. The Aussie removed her lips from her neck only to gasp.

“Is this… okay?” Alicia panted in her girlfriend’s ear.

“Yesss, Uh-licia,” Elyza was out of breath as much as she was. “It feels fucking g-great.”

“Hmmm, lie down,” Alicia moaned.

“What?”

Before Elyza could move, given the brunette’s position, she already pushed the blonde to lie on her back.

Elyza tried to flip her over right away, but Alicia would not let her.

“Look who’s getting bossy,” the Aussie commented.

“It’s for your own good,” Alicia explained. “We don’t want to pop your wound, do we?”

“I’m more than capable o-…”

Alicia’s tongue was already in Elyza’s mouth before she could finish the sentence. Her other hand joined another one under the blonde’s shirt. She rolled both nipples between her fingers, and it caused Elyza’s hips to buck. The reaction sent an impact to Alicia’s core, and she uncontrollably pressed herself hard on Elyza’s bare stomach. There was no doubt that the blonde would feel the dampness between her legs by now.

Elyza abruptly stopped kissing her and scooted up. And just when Alicia was going to whine, the blonde shoved a thigh between her legs.

“Is this okay?” Elyza whispered while stroking Alicia’s thighs up and down.

“Fuck-ing g-great,” the younger girl replied. There was a sparkle in her girlfriend’s eyes when she swore, so she pushed on. “Don’t fucking stop.”

“Never.”

The Aussie grabbed Alicia’s hips to support her while riding harder and harder on her thigh. Alicia lunged forward and grabbed the behind of Elyza’s free thigh to make a contact with the blonde’s core in order to give her some pleasure as well.

Elyza’s hands slid under Alicia’s shirt to caress the smoothness of her back. One eventually dared to go lower to squeeze Alicia’s butt, which caused the brunette to say ‘oh’ with a voice she did not recognize was her own. They kissed occasionally when they finally found a perfect rhythm, but mostly, they looked in each other’s eyes. It felt so intimate this way. Even after Alicia found her release, and Elyza did a few seconds after, they did not move away.

 _Maybe I should tell her now._ Alicia thought. _I want to tell her now._

“I…,” the younger girl started.

The blonde tucked a strand of Alicia’s hair behind her ear, and stroked her face gently. She was looking at her the way that made her feel like the most special thing in the world.

“Yeah?” the blonde said after Alicia did not continue.

 _She won’t freak out, right?_ The girl suddenly got nervous. _She feels the same. There’s no way she doesn’t feel the same._

Finally, Alicia found her courage.

“I l-…”

A knock on the door interrupted her and she did not have to guess from whom it came from.

“Girls, are you guys up yet?” Madison asked from behind the wooden barrier.

“No, we’re not,” Alicia turned her face to the door and retorted.

When she turned her face back to Elyza, the Aussie was still staring at her as if Madison never interfered with their moment.

Before they could do or say anything, the doorknob was twisted and the door swung inwards. Alicia always hated when her mother did this, especially now. There was no time to pull Elyza’s shirt down, so she could only shield her torso with her own.

“Jesus, mom. Did we say ‘come in’?!” Alicia whined.

If Madison did not know about them before, she definitely would know now. Surprisingly, her mother did not seem so shocked to see her on top of Elyza, and Alicia could not tell if she was bothered by this fact or not.

“’Licia, I need to talk to you,” Madison said.

“I’m not in the mood, mom,” the girl muttered.

She made sure Elyza’s nakedness was well covered, and sat up.

“Please. I’m really sorry about last night,” Madison begged. “I can explain.”

Alicia found herself yielding to her mother’s plea again.

“Fine,” she spoke between her teeth and determined to work on resisting her mother’s request next time.

She turned to look at her girlfriend, who was also sitting up as well.

“Elyza…,” Alicia called out.

She did not want to leave her right now.

“Go talk with your mum, _sugar bunch_ ,” Elyza said softly and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in a bit, okay?”

“Okay.”

Alicia climbed off the blonde’s lap and joined her mother at the door, but not before she gave Elyza a meaningful look.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Madison did not say anything until they reached the balcony of their room. The sky was lit up with the fresh sunlight. The only things missing are living beings in their sight. No humans, birds or even infected on this side of the hotel.

“So you’re not gonna say anything about me and Elyza?” Alicia started furiously.

“That’s not what I want to talk to you about,” Madison said and continued softly. “Alicia, I’m so sorry for what I did last night.”

“It’s fine,” Alicia lied. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“No, it’s not,” her mother argued. “I should have told you something, but I kept quiet.”

“Tell me what?”

Madison looked down and bit her lip. The girl had never seen her mother looking so nervous and sad.

“It’s about… your father,” the woman said. “I lied to you about the accident.”

_How is that possible? We know what happened. The police, the doctor and everyone else know what happened._

“Mom,” Alicia asked confusedly. “It was a car crash, right?”

“It was, but it wasn’t an accident,” Madison said after taking a deep breath.

It did not take long for Alicia to understand what her mother was trying to say. She suddenly felt a lump forming in her throat.

“How can you be sure? We couldn’t possibly…”

“He left a note, honey,” Madison explained with her voice broken. “He said he loved us, but he just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Tears ran down Madison’s face when she finished saying the last word, and Alicia realized she was also crying.

“That’s why I wanted to find Nick,” the woman continued. “You know how much he and daddy are alike. I’m always afraid he would do something like that.”

Alicia pulled her mother into a tight hug and they cried together until there were no more sobs left.

“Thank you for telling me,” the girl pulled away to let her mother know.

“Listen to me,” Madison replied. “I want you to know that I never… I never ever loved you any less. I’m so, so sorry.”

“I know.”

Her mother put an arm around her and pulled her closer. When Madison hugged her like this, it always reminded her of when her father was alive and they were all happy, or seemed like it. It felt like a lifetime ago, but Madison’s hug soothed her as much as bringing back the nostalgia.

“I love you, too,” said Alicia.

She did not know how long they stayed there. But when they got inside, and Alicia finished taking a shower, Madison said out of nowhere.

“I think Elyza is good for you.”

The girl froze in her place while getting dressed.

“So you’re not freaking out?” Alicia asked cautiously.

“About what?”

“Me liking girls? And I thought you didn’t like her.”

“Alicia, listen, I don’t care as long as you’re happy,” Madison said. “And Elyza is a good girl. Why wouldn’t I like her?”

“I’m not so sure about the happy part,” Alicia mumbled.

“Why? Did Elyza do something bad to you?”

“No, no, she’s amazing,” Alicia said quickly. “It’s just that… Nick, Travis and Chris are not here. I don’t want you to think I forget about them when I’m with Elyza. And I can’t be happy when you’re…”

“Oh, honey,” Madison cut her off. “You deserve to be happy. You deserve so much more. And I’m grateful everyday that you’re still here with me.”

The girl’s eyes watered when she heard the words. Madison hugged her, and she never felt so close to her mother as much as this moment.

She thought there would be a lot of hugging and crying that day until the door was knocked rapidly.

“Guys, are you done talking?” Elyza called out from behind the door.

Madison smiled and whispered to make sure only Alicia could hear her.

“Isn’t she a bit clingy?”

Alicia chuckled and walked to open the door.

She lost her breath when she saw that Elyza was dressed in a long-sleeve plaid shirt tucked in a pair of black jeans. But the Aussie’s expression was in panic.

“What’s wrong?” Alicia asked concernedly.

“There’re a bunch of people at the gate,” the blonde informed and turned to her mother. “Maddie, I think Travis is one of them.”

Madison got up from the bed without any words, and they left the room together. Alicia’s hand automatically found Elyza’s, and she knew whatever happened from now, they would be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for disappearing for so long. Work and school were really hard on me. I hope you liked Lexark’s sexy time. More to come, obviously. ;)  
> Kudos and comments mean a lot to me, so please do. :)


	13. Loss

**Elyza’s POV**

 

By the time they arrived at Rosarito’s front gates, it seemed like more people gathered there. Most of them were local. And Elyza was right, among them, a tall dark-skinned man who stood out in the crowd was Travis.

His eyes focused on Madison as he made his way through the sea of people.

“Travis,” Madison called out.

The woman moved forward and reached for her fiancé. Their hands clasped desperately with the steel barrier between them while the others were begging to get in both in English and Spanish.

“Where is Chris?” Madison asked.

Travis only shook his head. Elyza noticed the sadness in his eyes.

“We have to let him in,” the woman turned to tell the Aussie and her daughter.

“What about the others?” Alicia asked instantly.

“Honey, we can’t,” Madison replied without further explanation. She turned back to the gates and said. “I’m so sorry. We can’t let everyone in. He’s… he’s my family.”

Oscar, Elena and Andrés soon arrived at the spot. They said something in Spanish that Elyza could only assumed it was ‘Sorry. We can’t let you in’.

Alicia’s hurtful expression confirmed that she understood correctly.

“Help me get him in,” Madison told everyone inside.

Oscar and Andrés moved to help her right away. Travis finally got inside, but it was much more difficult to close the gates when the rest of the people were pushing against them.

Elena lent her companions another hand, leaving Elyza to stand behind with her girlfriend.

“I’m sorry it has to be like this,” the blonde said while placing her hand gently on Alicia’s shoulder.

“I know,” the younger girl mumbled sadly.

When the job was done, Madison and Travis left to her room.

“Come on. We’ve got work to do,” Elena said when she found the young girls standing still.

The Aussie looked at the people on the other side again. She spotted some children among them, and guilt washed over her.

“What’s so bad if we let them in?” Elyza asked. “There’re only like forty of them.”

“There are a whole other forty stomachs to feed,” Elena shot her down. “And one of them… or many of them may be infected.”

“Right,” the Australian girl replied, defeated by reasons.

“Hector told me some infected made their way back to the beach,” the former hotel manager said. “Help me get rid of them, will you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They left the area with the sound of pleas and curses following after them.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

The beach was beautiful under morning light. There were roughly twenty or so infected roaming around. From afar, it almost looked like they were normal people enjoying a walk.

Elyza’s bubble of thoughts was burst when Hector showed up and handed Elena the red axe. The Aussie took out her ice pick, and Alicia her knife, and they got to work in silence.

It was easy to attack the infected from behind, especially when they were walking separately. The difficult part was when they piled the bodies together. Even with the help from other hotel guests, it took an hour.

It was when Andrés showed up.

The young man seemed guilty of something, and he did not speak until Elena urged him on.

“What have you done, Andrés?”

“I… a girl… a little girl collapsed in front of the gates. I had to save her.”

“You let them all in,” Hector figured everything out.

The former medical student nodded and said. “Oscar and I took them to the parking lot.”

“Did you make sure they aren’t infected?” the Latina asked.

“Not yet,” Andrés replied. “That’s why I need your help.”

“I’ll help by preparing a gun,” Hector huffed and added. “Just in case of emergency.”

“I’ll check if we have more supplies,” Elena said and left the scene with her nephew.

“What can we do, Andrés?” Alicia asked.

“You can check if they have any wounds and make sure it’s not from a bite or a scratch,” the man explained. “And if they have a high fever, send them to me.”

“Sure. We’ll do that,” Elyza said at the same time she noticed a few more infected walking up the shore.

“Looks like your work is not done here,” Andrés remarked.

“I’ll take care of them,” the blonde told her girlfriend. “I’ll catch up, okay?”

Alicia squeezed her hand and asked. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Elyza said firmly and kissed her cheek.

It was good to see Alicia blushing and smiling. Elyza knew how much she wanted to help those people, and she did not want the work on the beach to hold her back.

“Be safe,” Alicia said and surprised her with a peck.

It seemed like they were not big on PDA until now, and the action took Elyza’s breath away.

“I will,” the blonde whispered against the other girl’s lips. “Now go be a hero.”

Alicia smiled again and let go of her hand. It was another moment adding to many previous ones that Elyza realized how lucky she was, and how she never wanted to spend any single day from now without the brown-haired girl.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

By the time Elyza finished setting fire on the pile of infected bodies, her clothes reeked of smoke. But she knew there was no time for hygiene now.

She carried a gallon of water from the bar to the parking lot. The crowd from the gates settled down on the floor, some of them were families, some of them were alone. The rest of them were lining up to let Alicia check for their wounds in front of a temporary curtain that was hung from the ceiling.

People on the floor looked at Elyza and then at the water as if it was a treasure, so the Aussie poured it in a cup and gave to them one by one. She could hear Alicia speaking Spanish from behind the curtain. She heard her voice more clearly the closer she got to her.

It was like a music to Elyza’s ear. She ended up staring at her girlfriend through the gap of the curtain after everyone got to drink some water. Alicia was talking to a little boy in Spanish calmly, when she noticed Elyza.

“Hey, you’re here,” the younger girl greeted. “Help me patch up Carlos?”

Elyza set aside the gallon in her hand and walked over to the boy as requested.

“I see that you’re making new friends,” she said and held the boy’s shirt up while Alicia put a bandage on a small cut on his back.

The brunette gave her a smile that was returned. Elyza then turned to the boy.

“Hey, amigo. I’m Elyza.”

“ _Me llamo Elyza_ ,” Alicia assisted.

“Me… yamo Elyza?” the blonde tried to sound as close as she could.

“No,” the American girl corrected her. “ _Me llamo Elyza_.”

“Me llamo Elyza.”

The boy just giggled and hugged her after his wound was tended to. He soon ran to join his mother and sister on the floor.

“Did I say it wrong?” Elyza asked puzzlingly.

“No. I guess he likes you,” Alicia replied and joked. “I talked to him for five minutes and I didn’t get a hug.”

“About that…,” Elyza started. “You should take a break. I saved you some water.”

“It’s okay. I’m not really tired.”

“Come on,” Elyza insisted. “You’ve done enough. Let me check the rest.”

Before she knew it, Alicia was hugging her. It was more like an embrace when she felt her girlfriend’s nose nuzzling into her neck.

Elyza wrapped her arms around her and said. “I stink.”

“I don’t care,” Alicia mumbled against her flesh.

“You were really serious about getting a hug, huh?”

The other girl did not reply. She could feel her tensing against her, so she rubbed small circles on Alicia’s back to soothe her by instinct.

When they pulled away, Elyza was greeted by the sight of Alicia blushing that made her green eyes stand out even more.

The blonde would probably get lost in them again if Alicia did not say the next three words.

“I love you.”

It seemed like the time froze at that moment. Elyza found herself blinking and blinking again as if to make sure she was not dreaming.

She did not imagine it when she heard Alicia saying these three words to her that night, or when Alicia tried to tell her again this morning. Still, it took her by surprise and she did not know how to respond.

It was probably because no one had ever told her this, or because she never said it to anyone before. Either way, she was stuttering.

“I… I… I…”

 _You idiot. You love her. Just say it._ Her inner self was screaming inside her head.

“Hey,” Alicia said in the softest voice and touched her cheek. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted to let you know, is all.”

The Aussie took a deep breath and gathered her courage.

“No, I…,”

Unfortunately, a man’s voice in American accent interrupted her.

“Hey! You two over there…”

Elyza and Alicia turned their heads to the sound at the same time.

Two young men walked arrogantly forward until they were close enough to the group of people. The only sympathetic parts on them were their injuries. One of them had his arm on a sling, and another one had a black eye. Both of them had cuts on their faces.

They slumped down on the floor, and the man with an injured arm finished the sentence. “Stop being gross and fix us.”

“You have to wait,” Alicia said sharply and pointed to the line at the curtain. “They came here first.”

“Brandon has a dislocated shoulder,” the other man said in demanding voice. “Dislocated shoulder!”

They both seemed like trouble, and Elyza did not want to help them.

“He’ll live,” the Aussie retorted. “First come, first served, dude.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna die soon if you two keep playing doctor over there,” Brandon replied.

“I don’t mind, by the way,” his friend added and wiggled his eyebrow.

The words made Elyza’s blood boil. She stepped forward, but she was not sure what she was going to do to him. There was a high chance that she would give him another black eye.

The newcomers were lucky enough that Alicia held her back.

“Not worth it,” the brunette muttered.

It was the same time Madison, Hector and Oscar showed up at the end of the hall.

Oscar walked to his brother with Hector, when Madison approached her daughter and Elyza.

“Mom, who are those guys?” Alicia asked.

“Oscar said they showed up at the gates,” the woman answered. “Said they got into a car accident.”

“They’re such assholes,” Elyza said.

“I can tell,” Madison sighed.

“Seriously. Can we kick them out?” the brown-haired girl asked her mother.

“I’ll see what I can do,” the woman replied.

Madison walked over to Oscar, Hector and Andrés. The four of them got into a discussion quietly and turned to the two American men.

“Andrés will take care of your shoulder,” Hector said when he approached the man named Brandon.

“It’s about damn time,” Brandon replied sarcastically.

“You need some privacy, so we’ll give you guys a room,” Madison told them.

Elyza could tell that she was lying, and they were sending the men away. But it was alarming when the rest of the people started to look at them in disbelief.

“Where are they going?” a Latino asked angrily. “Why do these gringos get a room before us?!”

Oscar and Hector urged Brandon and his friend to stand up and left the area, but chaos erupted when the majority also got up and followed them. Questions were shot from left to right. Elyza tried to reply the ones she could, but none of the answers seemed to calm the crowd down.

The Australian girl found herself moving with the flow little by little to the gates along with Alicia. She could see Hector and Oscar trying to shove the two American men out.

And just when they almost succeeded, Travis’ voice spoke up loudly from behind.

“Derek! Brandon! Where’s Chris?!”

 _What? They know each other?_ Elyza thought.

“Where is my son, Brandon?” Travis asked again.

“Travis, they have to go,” Madison tried to explain. “They’re bad news.”

“Please,” the tall man begged. “I need to know.”

Madison seemed defeated. Oscar and Hector shared a glance and finally dragged the newcomers to the other direction, and Travis followed them.

After learning that the intention for Brandon and Derek was not in their favor, the crowd calmed down and started to make their way back to the parking lot, and so did Elyza and Alicia.

Even though none of them were infected, it was a hard work for Elyza, Alicia and Andrés to please everyone, but they made do.

They were going to divide the rooms for new people, when a commotion could be heard from the front of the hotel.

“No, he’s not gonna hurt anyone!”

It was Madison’s voice. She sounded very panic.

“He killed them,” Elena’s voice replied. “He hurt one of us. He hurt Oscar!”

Andrés ran towards the sound as soon as he heard his brother’s name, and Elyza and Alicia followed suit.

Hector and a man Elyza did not know were taking Travis somewhere with his arms tucked behind.

“No, please,” Madison pleaded. “Don’t take him away. He just lost his son.”

“Maddie, they don’t care,” Strand said. “You’re not helping.”

“Mom, what’s going on?” Alicia asked.

Madison kept on begging Hector to let Travis go, but it did not work.

“Mom,” Alicia called out again with a softer voice.

Her mother turned to look at her with tears in her eyes.

“Travis… he…,” the woman was lost for words.

“Those new guys,” Strand answered in her stead. “Turned out, they killed Chris. So Travis… killed them. Oscar got in a way, and now he’s in a coma.”

The new information hit Elyza like a shockwave. It was almost impossible to process, but it must be harder for Alicia. The Aussie did not spend much time with Chris, but she knew how much Alicia cared for him.

Before she could do anything, Strand spoke up.

“What are we gonna do now?”

“I’ll talk to Elena,” Madison suggested. “They can’t keep him locked up like that.”

“Locked up?” Strand replied. “They’re not locking him up. They’re exiling him.”

“Then we stop them,” Elyza said. “Maddie, I’ll help you talk to Elena.”

“There’s nothing you can say, Elyza,” Strand argued. “There’s no way they’ll let him stay.”

“Then we leave,” Alicia said quietly. “We’ll leave with him.”

Alicia’s suggestion did not surprise the Australian girl at all. Her girlfriend always put her family before everything else. It was one of the things Elyza admired about her.

“No, Alicia,” Madison rejected. “I can’t do that to you. I can’t do that to all of you.”

“Mom,” the young girl said softly. “Travis is my family, too. We’ve lost too many.”

The woman looked at her daughter. And in the end, she nodded.

“I’m sorry, Maddie. But I’m not leaving with you,” Strand made a statement and walked away.

After he left, Madison’s and Alicia’s eyes trailed to Elyza at the same time.

“You don’t have to ask,” it was the only definite answer she had for herself and for the girl she loved. “I’m with you.”

The surrounding was suddenly quiet when Elyza realized only three of them were there. Three of them who had just lost all of their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for disappearing (AGAIN), but I just got back from my one-month trip to my hometown, and as always, school and life stuff are huge factors to keep me from writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
> 
> Please comment and kudo. It will mean a lot to me. <333
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  


	14. Before Sunrise

**Alicia’s POV**

 

Words surely spread fast.

Alicia and Madison were on their way to the room above the beach that Elena and Hector kept Travis, while Elyza left to check on Oscar. Everyone they walked pass by seemed to avoid eye contacts or turned to the opposite direction, even the ones Alicia had just talked to in the parking lot when she checked their wounds.

The room was surrounded by glass walls, so they could see Travis inside. He was walking back and forth, and did not seem to notice Alicia or her mother. Elena and Hector, on the other hand, approached the two Clarks defensively.

“What do you want?” Elena said.

“He has to leave, doesn’t he?” Madison asked.

“Yes, it’s your rule,” Hector replied.

“I know. That’s why we’ll leave,” Alicia said. “We’ll leave with him.”

Elena and Hector seemed surprised by her suggestion.

Before they could say anything, Madison spoke up.

“You don’t have to lock him up. Give him to us now.”

“Absolutely not,” Hector refused. “He’s just killed two people!”

“Hector, those guys killed his son,” Alicia explained. “Travis was upset, but he’s not gonna hurt anyone again.”

“Maybe, but he’s staying here and you’ll leave with him tomor-…,” Hector said sharply.

“Hector,” Elena cut him off. “Let him go.”

The man was ready to argue with his aunt, but Elena was quick to continue.

“These people helped us. It’s one last thing we can do for them.”

“Whatever,” the Latino sighed and shoved a key in Elena’s hand.

The Latina woman unlocked the door in silent. And before she left with her nephew, she uttered to Alicia.

“Honestly, I’m going to miss you.”

Before Alicia could respond, Elena and Hector were already gone, and her mother was in Travis’ arms. They were holding each other with their eyes closed.

It was a small peaceful moment they could get, and Alicia hoped Elyza would give them good news.

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

By the time they got back to their floor, the sun almost set. Alicia gave her mother a much-needed alone time with Travis and left to Elyza’s room.

Her girlfriend was nowhere in her sight, and the room looked empty somehow.

“Elyza?” Alicia called out.

“I’m here,” the Aussie’s voice could be heard from the balcony, so Alicia followed it.

When she opened the balcony’s door, she was greeted by the sight of Elyza sipping on a bottle of beer and sitting on the sofa she moved from inside the room.

“Redeco time?” Alicia asked amusingly. “On the last day we’re staying here?”

“I’ve always wanted to do this.”

“Do what?”

“Watch the sunset from here, on this comfy sofa. Might as well do it now,” the blonde’s eyes set on the descending sun, but eventually trailed to Alicia. “Come here.”

The brunette did so. She sat next to her girlfriend and Elyza automatically put an arm around her. The girl loved how their bodies fit comfortably together.

“Beer?” Elyza asked.

“Nah.”

“How it’s going with Travis?”

“They let him go,” Alicia replied. “He’s with my mom in the other room.”

“That’s good.”

“How is Oscar?” Alicia asked in return.

The blonde sighed before she spoke. “Still unconscious. Andrés is gonna operate on him, but I have a feeling it’s not gonna work.”

She noticed how sad Elyza looked, so she comforted her.

“We did everything we could, Elyza.”

“I know.”

“Let’s not think about all those things now,” Alicia said softly. “Just watch the sunset with me.”

The Australian girl did not comply. Instead, she turned to look at Alicia. They held gaze, and the younger girl realized that she could see the reflections of the sunset in Elyza’s blue orbs. They became two of the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her life.

The pair of lights immediately disappeared when the blonde closed her eyes and leaned closer. Their lips met in a slow, sensual kiss. And when Alicia tilted her head to deepen the kiss, she could feel warm water on her cheek.

She had seen Elyza on the verge of tears before, but this was the first time the Aussie was truly crying. The younger girl pulled away abruptly to make sure her girlfriend was okay.

“What’s wrong?”

Elyza let out a soft laugh that made Alicia puzzled.

“More like what’s right,” the blonde said while wiping her own tears.

The American girl guessed she must still look so worried and confused, because Elyza quickly moved to caress the side of her face and explained.

“I was just… I was thinking about how much I love you.”

The words came unexpectedly but also surely, which left Alicia speechless and breathless.

“I’m an idiot, I shoulda told you sooner,” Elyza continued. “I just… haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. No, actually, I’ve never felt like this before,… ever. And… I’m not really good at expressing my feelings.”

“I think you’re doing just fine,” Alicia told her. “Tell me more.”

“Are you seriously putting me on a spot?” the blonde asked and narrowed her eyes.

“I so am,” the brunette teased, but she also would love to hear Elyza talk about her feelings for her. “Go on.”

She lifted her legs up and laid them across Elyza’s lap so she could turn to face her fully. Her arms slung around the blonde’s neck loosely.

“Well,” the Aussie was blushing when she continued. “You’re different. I felt it since the first time we talked, even before I met you. Is that weird?”

“Not really,” Alicia shook her head. “I felt the same.”

“And then, I blew it when Luther and I tried to take your ship. And after that,… I don’t even know how we got here,” Elyza said and added. “It’s a wonder that someone like you would be with someone like me.”

 _How could she say that?_ Alicia thought.

The older girl was raising the bottle of beer to her lips when Alicia took it from her. The action caused some of the liquid to spill from Elyza’s chin and onto her shirt, but that was the least of the problem at the moment.

“Sorry. I’m sorry, but…” Alicia quickly apologized. She, then, asked half angrily and half sadly. “Someone like you what? Someone so amazing, and caring, and beautiful?”

The Aussie rested her hand on top of her girlfriend’s thigh and said. “Alicia, I tricked you. I lied to you on the radio. I put a knife to Ofelia’s throat.”

“And I punched you and locked you up. I starved you,” the brunette argued. “And when we kissed on the boat, I pushed you away.”

“I deserved all those things.”

“Don’t say that. We had to do things we’re not proud of to survive,” Alicia said softly. “I forgive you, and I love you.”

Elyza rested her forehead against the other girl’s and whispered. “I love you, too.”

When the Aussie kissed her again, Alicia unsuccessfully set the bottle down on the floor. She pulled Elyza closer at the same time the blonde’s tongue slipped in between her lips.

The taste of beer was warm on the flesh in contrast of the existent drip on Elyza’s chin that urged the brunette to clean it. She started kissing from the corner of her mouth and downward. She paid attention on the cleft of the blonde’s chin that she found so attractive, while Elyza ran her hand up and down her thigh.

Alicia paused on her mission only to climb on her girlfriend’s lap. The Aussie’s eyes were black more than blue now, her chest was heaving, the wetness on the flesh could be seen by the last gleaming of the sun.

The younger girl started to unbutton Elyza’s shirt, and the blonde did not stop her. Once all the buttons were undone, she started kissing all over her bra-clad chest with some occasional licks, but the broken infinity tattoo distracted her.

“You never told me about it,” Alicia asked while tracing the line of ink with her finger. “Why is it broken?”

“Because maybe infinity is not real,” the blonde half-heartedly explained. “Maybe it’s meant to be broken.”

“That’s mathematically proven to be untrue,” the brown-haired girl disputed and ignored how nerdy she sounded. Something suddenly clicked in her head. “Wait, is this about your ex?”

Elyza took a deep breath and admitted. “I was young. It was a dump decision after we broke up, unlike…”

The Australian’s eyes looked down to Alicia’s tattoo that she knew she had no regret of. After a heartbeat, Alicia bowed her head down to kiss on the infinity tattoo over and over again until Elyza let out a laugh.

“Babe, what are you doing?” the blonde asked.

“I’m breaking the curse,” Alicia mumbled against the soft skin.

“Consider it’s broken,” the Aussie chuckled and swiftly arranged Alicia to be on her back.

They were kissing again, and Elyza’s warm hands made their way under the other girl’s oversized t-shirt, one on the lower of her back, one on her stomach.

The brunette’s nails dug on her girlfriend’s back when she fondled one of her breasts.

“I want you,” Elyza breathed in her ear and nibbled on it, which caused Alicia to stir beneath her.

The younger girl sat up abruptly to Elyza’s confusion. The blonde took it as a sign of rejection and slowly pulled her hands away. In turn, Alicia held them in hers instantly and assuringly.

“No, El, it’s just that… we have a bed,” the American girl said shyly. “Might as well use it now.”

She led the Aussie inside the room, and Elyza pressed her against the glass door right away. Their kisses became sloppy when they tried to get rid of each other’s shirt. Alicia was first to unclasp the other girl’s bra and greeted with the bouncing beautiful globes. She almost felt insecure of her smaller size when Elyza slowly slid her bra off her shoulders, but the feeling went away as soon as the blonde’s jaws dropped.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” Alicia countered.

She pulled the blonde closer by the waist of her jeans and unbuttoned them.

Elyza mimicked her action and asked. “Are you sure about this?”

“More than sure,” Alicia replied. “Make love to me.”

The Aussie kissed her deeply and walked them backwards. She turned when they reached the bed, and Alicia sat on the edge of it.

She was surprised when Elyza was on her knees and started to untie her shoes. She suddenly felt like a princess and found herself blushing.

The blonde moved to work on the brunette’s zipper after she was done with her socks. Alicia propped on her elbows and lifted her hips up to help her, and Elyza was smart enough to pull both her panties and jeans down at the same time.

When Alicia was completely naked, the older girl attacked her lips and then her neck with both teeth and tongue. She moved down to take one of Alicia’s erect nipples in her mouth that caused Alicia to gasp and arch into her. Elyza took time to circle the bud with her tongue and then sucked on it, while Alicia caressed the back of her head. She finally released the nipple with a wet pop and continued downwards.

Her lips trailed from the younger girl’s stomach to her wet folds. She gave her the first stroke of tongue without warning, and Alicia’s hips bucked by the action. It was the moment Elyza took the chance to lift one of her legs up to rest on her shoulder.

The blonde continued to assault her with her tongue a few more times. It felt blissful, but Alicia was missing the warmth of her body.

“Hnnng… lyza,” she fought against a moan and called out.

“Hmm?” the blonde responded without looking up.

“Would you hold me? I love when you hold me.”

Elyza distanced her face from between her legs right away. The younger girl pulled her into a kiss while working on getting rid of her jeans, she could taste herself and she loved it. Elyza stood up and helped her kicking off her shoes and socks, and stepped off her garment.

Alicia moved to lie fully on the bed and reached out her arm.

“Come here.”

She giggled when Elyza jumped on the mattress eagerly and rolled on top of her. She did not show any sign of pain on her injured arm, so Alicia pulled her closer.

The feeling of the blonde’s body flushing against her alone almost made her come. She found herself grinding against her girlfriend’s hip uncontrollably, but it was better when Elyza lent her a hand, in this case, literally.

The blonde’s left hand brushed pass Alicia’s breast down between their bodies. She found the younger girl’s arousal again and lubed two of her fingers up with the wetness.

The Aussie entered Alicia slowly with those fingers and earned a gasp.

“Does this hurt?” the blonde asked concernedly.

“No,” Alicia assured her and tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. “Keep going.”

Elyza did so. She slipped her fingers in and out, each thrust was faster and deeper. Alicia could feel her own toes curl. Her nails dug on Elyza’s shoulders and she hoped she was not hurting her too much.

The Aussie suddenly curled her fingers up inside and Alicia’s knee jerked up. The blonde barely gave her time to take a breath when she pressed her thump on her clit and flicked it in circular motion.

“Oh God,” Alicia exclaimed.

She could feel warm liquid pouring out like a flood when Elyza was driving her on the edge.

“Elyza, I’m gonna… I’m…”

“Come for me, baby” the blonde said soothingly and sucked gently on Alicia’s pulse point.

Elyza gave her a few more pumps after she found her release. The Aussie made sure she calmed down enough and pulled her fingers out. She licked the digits clean with a naughty grin on her face, and Alicia almost had another orgasm just by the sight.

The blonde rolled off her, but she did not go far. Instead, she covered the blanket over them and pulled Alicia into a gentle kiss.

“I hope your mom and Travis didn’t hear all those moans,” Elyza teased.

The younger girl responded by pinching her arm, but the mention of her mother and Travis brought her back to reality.

“Hey, listen,” Alicia started while tracing her girlfriend’s collarbone. “You know things are going to change tomorrow, right? We’re going back on the road and all.”

“We found this place,” Elyza said firmly. “We’ll find another one.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“I’m not really worried, because I already found my home,” the blonde said and cupped her girlfriend’s cheek.

Alicia gave her the sweetest smile and shook her head.

“Was it too cheesy?” Elyza asked.

“I thought it was sweet.”

“Cool,” Elyza said and kissed her girlfriend’s forehead. “You should get some rest.”

“But you haven’t…,” the brunette protested.

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” Alicia said while her hand boldly found its way to between Elyza’s legs. She could feel the dampness as expected. “And you want me to.”

“Oh Gosh,” the blonde closed her eyes and moaned in accordance with the touch.

The younger girl was already on top of her when Elyza opened her eyes.

“Teach me how to touch you.”

“Gladly,” Elyza replied with a husky voice and Alicia knew they would not get much sleep tonight.

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Elyza’s POV**

 

Elyza was smiling.

She found herself in that place again, the place between dreams and reality, the place that she was afraid of not getting out of most of the nights.

But tonight was different. Every memory she shared with Alicia flushed through her. She could hear every word. She could feel every kiss as if she was there again.

Elyza did her best to hold on to those memories, but she knew it would not be long until she woke up. Even then, it would not matter when she could feel Alicia’s presence, safe in her arms.

There was an instant shift and Alicia was gone. It was like someone pulled the sun away from the earth, or water from rivers. It was the moment Elyza’s eyes shot open.

“Alicia,” the blonde called out in the dark.

The other side of the bed was empty, but the Aussie was relieved when she heard the sound from the bathroom. The brunette walked out a few minutes later. She was fully dressed.

“Hey,” the younger girl greeted and added. “It’s still too early. You should go back to sleep.”

“What about you?”

“I haven’t packed my bag, so…”

“Can’t you do that tomorrow?” Elyza pled and patted on the empty side of the bed. “Come be my cuddlebug.”

Alicia seemed hesitant, but she said. “Elena said we had to leave at dawn.”

“Oh,” the blonde exclaimed and pouted. “Bugger.”

“I’ll be back in five minutes, I promise,” Alicia said while tucking her shirt in her jeans. “I just need to shove my toothbrush and some clothes in my bag and then I’m done.”

The Aussie’s gaze followed every movement of her girlfriend’s hands senselessly. She could still remember how those incredibly long fingers felt inside her. Turned out, Alicia was a fast learner. More importantly, the sex was unlike anything when she did it with someone whom she truly loved.

“Yeah, you’re really good at shoving,” the blonde said and made a hand gesture before she could stop herself.

She could hear the sound of Alicia’s breath hitching in her throat, so she gave her a smirk.

“Not helping, Elyza,” it was the brunette’s turn to pout.

“Sorry,” the Aussie said sheepishly. “Five minutes?”

“Five minutes,” Alicia affirmed. “I’ll be back before you kn-…”

Loud rapid knocks from the hallway interrupted her.

Elyza got off the bed to get dressed by instinct. By the time she put on a t-shirt, a pair of shorts and her jacket, the knocks became constant bangs.

Alicia rushed to the peephole and said. “Andrés and Hector. They’re breaking in mom’s room!”

The younger girl opened the door with no hesitation and ran out with Elyza after her. Madison’s room’s door was already busted open when she reached the hallway.

Everyone was yelling, and when Elyza go further inside, she was blocked by a tall man she did not know. The man was trying to obstruct Madison and Alicia at the same time.

“Please, you don’t have to do this,” Madison begged through tears.

“Andrés, listen to me,” Alicia shouted. “This is not you!”

Elyza stood on her toes to see what was going on over the man’s shoulder, and the sight scared her.

Hector was holding Travis arms behind his back, and Andrés was pointing a gun at the dark-skinned man.

“You did this,” the former medical student said. “You killed my brother.”

“Let him go,” the Aussie tried. “Please. We’re leaving. You’ll never see us again.”

“Why does he get to walk away when Oscar is death?” Andrés asked furiously.

“Don’t do it here,” Travis mumbled quietly. “They don’t have to see this.”

“Shut up!” the younger man shouted.

It was obviously no use to reason with him, so Elyza tried to push through the tall man again. This time he shoved her back, and she reacted by punching him in the face.

She ducked when he tried to hit her back, and Madison and Alicia took that chance to move pass by him. It was not a surprise when the man reached for the older woman first and pulled her back. It was natural to not expect someone like Alicia to stop Andrés or do any damage.

And the time stopped when the young girl pulled out the knife from her back pocket. She walked forward a few more steps at the same time the blade sprung out.

Elyza could not see her face, but she could see the shining silver object for a few seconds before it went deep in Andrés’ chest.

A jabbing sound broke the silence when Alicia pulled the knife out, and Andrés hit the ground with a thud. Hector was the first to move when he shoved Alicia into a wall, so Elyza was quick to tackle him.

He pushed her away and took the gun from the lifeless body. The Australian girl was sure this was her last moment when Hector pointed the weapon at her, but Travis knocked him out and saved her.

Before she knew it, the gun was in Strand’s hand and he ordered the tall stranger to leave.

“You need to run,” the black man said. “Now.”

Elyza turned to look at her girlfriend, whose eyes were blank. Her right hand was holding the knife in a dead grip.

 _She’s in shock. She’ll be okay. She’s gonna be okay._ The Aussie told herself.

“Come on. We have to go.”

She led Alicia all the way to a black truck after Travis and Madison. It was alarming that the younger girl did not make an effort to grab her hand at all.

They climbed on the back of the truck when Strand arrived with their bags. He threw them on board and they were laid at Elyza’s feet.

“Victor, you should come with us,” Madison suggested.

The man hesitated, but in the end, he shook his head and handed the gun to the blonde woman.

“Go,” Victor replied wearingly. “I’ll be okay.”

There was no time to say goodbye to him once Madison got in the car and Travis started driving. The truck moved so fast that the Rosarito Hotel vanished from Elyza’s sight in no time.

She realized that she was still holding Alicia’s hand, which is not responsive. The other girl was right next to her and was in another planet at the same time, her face turned away, looking at nothing and everything they drove pass.

“Alicia,” Elyza said and squeezed her hand.

The other girl did not react.

“Alicia,” the blonde tried again. “Please. Look at me.”

The brunette finally turned to her direction, but her gaze was down.

“Please,” Elyza begged.

She lifted her chin up gently to guide Alicia’s eyes to meet her. There was shock, fear, confusion and many other things in those green eyes.

Elyza peeled the other girl’s hand off the butterfly knife gently and set it on the floor. She wiped the blood off Alicia’s shaking hand with the hem of her shirt.

Unexpectedly, Alicia yanked her hand away from the blonde’s. She spoke for the first time in a long time. Her voice was hoarse.

“Why are you doing this? You can’t… I’ve just… I’ve just…”

Even though the brunette could not finish her sentences, Elyza understood what was going on.

“I don’t hate you, okay?” the blonde said clearly. “I don’t feel sick or scared of you or whatever. I just don’t.”

“Why? I’ve just killed Andr-…,” the younger girl struggled to say his name. “I just… walked to him and did it.”

“You saved Travis. We have to do horrible things to survive, remember? We have no choice,” Elyza said and added softly. “You’re still the same girl I fell in love with.”

“I’m not!” Alicia argued while tears were forming in her eyes. “Don’t say that.”

The Aussie caressed the sides of her girlfriend’s face to make sure she heard every word she was going to say.

“You’re the same girl… the same person who does everything to protect the ones she loves, and I love you.”

“Don’t,” the brunette uttered weakly.

She tried to move away again, but Elyza held her hands tightly. Warm liquid dropped on her palm and she realized that she was crying as well.

“I love you,” Elyza rested her forehead against Alicia’s and told her again. “I’ll never stop loving you.”

There was a small struggle, but Alicia finally gave in and sobbed on the Aussie’s chest. She held her tightly and whispered the same words over and over again, the words she would never get tired of saying.

 

_\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Elyza did not know when she fell asleep, but the sun was rising when she was awake. Alicia was still holding on to her, and it seemed like the younger girl had been awake for a while.

The blonde gently kissed the top of her head.

“Am I going to be okay?” Alicia asked.

Elyza ran her hand through the brown locks and replied. “I’m not saying it’s gonna easy, but you’ll be okay.”

“How do you know? You still have nightmares.”

“I do,” Elyza admitted. “But I have good dreams, too,… sometimes, and good moments when I’m awake, and… how good the future could be if the zombies were all gone. You just have to hold on to those, aight?”

Alicia nodded against her chest and asked. “What’s your ideal future?”

“Well, it has you in it,” Elyza said and looked down at the girl she loved. “You become rich and feed me for the rest of my life.”

The comment earned a chuckle and a pinch on the blonde’s stomach.

“I actually like the sound of that,” Alicia said and snuggled closer.

The lines of trees on the sides of the road were starting to fade away, and the sunlight shone through them. The trees were soon replaced by a beach and a dim yellow sky.

“Watch the sunrise with me,” Elyza asked.

Alicia sat up and rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Her hand found Elyza’s and interlocked it.

It was the moment Elyza knew they were going to be okay and the future was plausible, the one she did not tell Alicia about, the one where they were married and had children together, or maybe a few pets.

 _Maybe someday._ Elyza thought and looked into the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Was it too kinky? Was it too cheesy? Lol. I don’t think so.
> 
> Also, I didn’t expect to write this long, so I hope this made up for the time I disappeared. ^_^
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome. :)
> 
> Anyway, it would be cool if someone draws fan arts of my fics. That would make one of my dreams comes true. I can do something in return like making gifs of anything you want. Let me know. <3


	15. Journey

**Epilogue**

**12 years later**

**Alicia’s POV**

 

“Ugh,” Alicia exclaimed.

She had been stuck on this street for ten minutes now. What bothered her was that traffic jams here were usually caused by the traffic light that was not adjusted to fit to the number of the population.

There were less than ten cars in her sight as it should be on Tuesday at 11 a.m. even on the way to the most famous beach in Gold Coast.

Alicia stepped hard on the accelerator pedal as soon as the light turned green. She wanted to make up for the time she overspent at her workplace. Her boss, Anya, suggested that she should have lunch at their office on this important day in her career, but for her, there was something far more important.

The brunette pulled over at her favorite spot and got out of her van. As expected, a big black motorcycle was parked a few feet ahead, and the sight put a smile to her face.

“Oh look. The celebrity is here,” a voice startled her.

It was Olivia, one of Elyza’s employees. She was in full lifeguard swimsuit, but her right hand was holding a cigarette.

“Olivia,” that was all Alicia said.

“Alicia,” the woman mocked her.

“Sorry. How are you?” the American corrected herself. “I’m just in a hurry.”

“No worries. I’m good,” Olivia replied and added. “Come on. They’re playing football.”

The brunette followed the lifeguard further into the beach where she could see the two people she loved the most in the world.

Elyza was in her bikini today instead of her usual lifeguard uniform, and Alicia could not help but think she was wearing it for her. The blonde was trying her best to subtly let the young boy take the ball away from her, but they both suddenly stopped in their track. It was as if they could feel Alicia’s presence and turned their faces to her way at the same time.

Elyza’s lips turned up into a wide smile, while the boy already moved to sprint to Alicia.

“Mommy!”

The brunette knelt down and welcomed him with a tight embrace.

“You missed me, Aidan?” Alicia asked and kissed the top of his head.

“So much!” Aidan replied and hugged her again.

“I’ve missed you, too!” she said and got up to give Elyza a peck. “And you, too.”

They had been married for five years now, but it felt longer.

Eight years ago, they were in Texas when the military announced that the last infected on earth was eliminated. Elyza got on her knees, and Alicia assumed that she wanted to rest from the exhaustion they had endured. To her surprise, the blonde pulled out the big pearl they found in a clam in Mexico, and asked her to marry her.

Certainly, Alicia said yes with her eyes watered, which turned into a full-on crying after the Aussie told her she had been carrying the pearl with her for over a year, waiting for this day to come.

There was not a good time to properly get married, but Alicia enjoyed every minute they referred to each other as their fiancée. It was not until they moved to Australia that they felt like everything was falling back into place.

They had a small wedding on this exact beach in front of friends and family they had left. They felt complete until one day, Alicia realized she wanted to have a child. Elyza fully supported the idea, and they both fell in love with Aidan the first time they met him at the city’s adoption center.

Before they could say anything else, Olivia spoke up.

“I guess my break is over.”

The woman casually stuck her cigarette in the sand and left with Elyza’s glare after her.

“For someone who works on a beach, she seems to litter on it a lot,” Alicia commented.

“That’s why she has me,” Landon, another lifeguard, showed up with a trash bag to pick up the cigarette.

He quickly said hi to Alicia and jogged after Olivia.

“Ugh, these children,” Elyza muttered as if her employees were younger than Aidan. “Just ignore them. It’s their way of flirting.”

Alicia chuckled and turned to her son.

“So, _Batman_ , what did you do with your mom when I was away?”

“Mama taught me to draw,” the boy said excitedly. “And how to ride a bike. It was so fun!”

The brunette’s eyes widened at the same time her wife gave her a sheepish grin.

“Aidan,” Alicia started. “Why don’t you go help Landon picking up the trash when I talk to Mama?”

“Right on, Mommy,” the boy said and ran to the man obediently.

Alicia’s eyes followed him until she felt Elyza’s hands on her hips and her lips pressed on the back of her neck. She still could feel electric running through her body after all these years, especially now, after two weeks she was away from Elyza on her book tour.

Her wife always did this every time she put her hair up like today. The blonde loved to kiss on the infinity tattoo she hid behind her thick brown hair, the one that matched with Elyza’s one on her chest.

Alicia could not help but turned to look at Elyza’s tattoo where the dots were modified to be one connected line. Her lips met the blonde’s in a kind of kisses that they could not perform in front of their son.

“I guess you’re not mad, huh?” the Aussie asked after pulling away.

“What were you thinking?” Alicia tried to sound frustrated, but she failed.

“He’s a strong kid,” the blonde explained. “And I was on the bike with him the whole time.”

“He’s eight-year-old.”

“Exactly.”

“Elyza,” the brunette whined.

“Okay. Got it,” the Aussie was defeated. “No more bike lessons until he’s twelve or something.”

“Thank you,” Alicia said and held her wife’s hand.

“So, big day today,” Elyza said. “Are you nervous?”

“Of course, I am,” the brunette replied. “This one is different. I live here, and people are gonna look at me weird everywhere I go after tonight.”

Tonight was Alicia’s book premiere in Australia. She started to regret keeping a journal and turning it into an autobiography about her life after the virus spread.

She started writing when they had to live in a ranch called Broke Jaw. There was not much to do until Jake, the ranch owner’s son, gave her a notebook, and a sketchbook for Elyza.

Alicia wrote down everything she remembered from the first day she saw the news about the infected at her school, when she lost Matt, when she almost could not escape from her infected neighbor and when she met Elyza.

At first, Anya would not give her a deal unless she agreed to hype up the romance part on her first draft. In the end, after she talked to Elyza, the book was published. It was never a problem with Elyza to deal with attention, but sometimes, it felt strange to Alicia.

“They’re not gonna look at you weird,” the blonde comforted her. “They’re gonna admire you.”

“What if they think I suck?” the brunette asked with a pout.

“I read it, okay? It’s one of the most well-written books I’ve ever read.”

“You’re just being biased because you love me.”

“I love you, babe,” Elyza said and kissed her forehead. “But I also would never lie to you.”

“Thanks God, you and Aidan will be there with me tonight.”

“Totally,” the Aussie mumbled. “Aidan can’t wait to wear his tux.”

Alicia’s nervousness was gone after she heard that.

“Can we have lunch now?” the brunette asked. “Anya is gonna kill me if I don’t get back before 1.”

Before her wife could reply, there was a beep sound, and she pulled her phone out from her bikini’s bottom.

“Babe, our live video has just hit 10 million views,” Elyza informed.

“Awesome, I guess,” Alicia replied less enthusiastically than she meant to.

“Come on. We saved a heap of people by telling them to jab the infected in the head.”

“Well, it’s weird when you see comments like ‘my OTP’ or ‘wives goal’.”

“You’re my wife goal,” the Aussie flirted.

Alicia could not help but kiss Elyza again. This time, her hands roamed over her back and came to rest on her stomach.

“Guys!” Olivia’s voice interrupted them. “When you’re done being gross, can you come over here? Your boy is hungry.”

They let out a laugh in unison and walked over to the picnic mat Olivia and Landon set up for them.

Aidan came to sit on Alicia’s lap with no hesitation. He was heavier than she could remember. She could tell that her legs would be numb later, but this was worth it.

She wrapped her arms around her son and turned to Elyza, who was already beaming at her. It was the moment Alicia knew everything was worth it.

Everything they had been through to get here was worth it, and she would not change a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hope the end is good enough because I tried my best. T_T  
> And I’m sure you know who Aidan, Olivia and Landon are in the loo universe, but Anya is Anya because she’s special like that. :D  
> Also, I’ve seen 3 episodes of FtWD’s new season already. They were so good, guys. You’re gonna love it, especially the third ep. So much Alicia and everything she does is just so... haha, I’m not gonna spoil you.  
> Feel free to comment, leave kudos or ask me anything. :)


End file.
